Fallen Demon
by Golem XIV
Summary: A demon with doubts looks for answers, convinced that a certain half-demon can help him. Rated M for strong scenes and mild lemons. Completed.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** I wanted to take a break after _Match_ , rest a little bit and then get on my next story nice and fresh. But this idea swooped down on me and wouldn't let go until I sat down to write it.

As I have envisaged it, this is going to be a 4-5 chapter story, the chapters being an average 6-7k words each.

Usual disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OCs. And the plot, I guess.

* * *

 **Fallen Demon**

The place could not be described in concepts understandable by humans. The closest approximation would be a swirling cloud of colors. Not only the seven basic ones and their combinations, that humans could see, understand and name, but many others also; colors such that no human mind even had a concept of their existence, let alone a word to describe them.

There were no distances and no dimensions. Close or far, up or down, left or right; those ideas were completely inapplicable to this place. Time flowed as easily from consequence to cause as from cause to consequence, or it slowed and stopped, then sped up and suddenly turned around, as the necessity of the inhabitants molded it to their own will.

The two entities that were exchanging ideas did so in a way incomprehensible to mortal minds, but a rough interpretation could be made of their interaction. For lack of a better way of identifying them, they will be labeled as Red and Blue.

 _You have come again,_ Blue commented, sensing Red and establishing contact.

 _I do not belong with my brethren,_ Red replied.

 _You do not belong with us, either._

 _Then what is there for me? Why is everything made in such a way?_

 _Because we were made so. We do not question._

 _Neither do my siblings. But I do! Why was I made so I do not belong? Am I a plaything?_

Blue darkened, its emotion best approximated to a mortal mind as anger.

 _We do not question!_ Blue communicated emphatically. _And believing you are something extraordinary may just show that you think more of yourself than what you really are._

 _No. In this you are wrong. I have questioned my existence ever since I was created. I know._

Blue darkened even more, purple sparks coursing through it.

 _It is so typical of a demon not to know its place. I have suffered your insolence enough. Begone._

Red's color darkened in response.

 _And it is so typical of an angel to be patronizing._

Time flowed on, then flowed back. Blue's color returned to a lighter shade.

 _You had aroused my curiosity and I had decided to listen to you. But I cannot help you with your request. You are what you are. It defines you, as much as you may not wish it to be so. It cannot be changed. There is only one thing that can be done._

Red's color deepened, sparks lighting up through him, just to extinguish into dark embers.

 _I had hoped there was another way._

Stripes of bright colors ran through Blue.

 _Maybe you will learn to belong there. Maybe you will find your answers there._

Red flashed bright crimson, the decision reached. His color returned to normal.

 _So be it._

Red disappeared, not leaving, not going away, but simply ceasing to exist in that place. Blue darkened; not in anger, but in sorrow.

 _There is always hope, brother._

* * *

 _Beltheniel_. _That is my name here_.

He rose from the pavement in the filthy alley where he appeared. Garbage and refuse was strewn around, the rejects that Humanity was so good at creating.

 _They will drown in their own filth soon,_ he thought. _And yet_ …

He felt strange, bound in a mortal body, constrained by mortal senses, his awareness limited only to what he could see, hear, smell or taste. Gravity pulled him to the ground relentlessly. He frowned and released a small part of his power. His feet left the ground, floating an inch above the wet pavement.

The sensation was pleasant, but he forced himself to release the levitation and land softly on the pavement again. He knew that he should not reveal his powers. Humans were easy to spook and their reaction was always unpredictable. If they banded together against him, they could destroy him. Coming here of his own free will meant he was mortal; while his powers would always be a part of himself, his mortality was an unescapable consequence of his Choice.

He tested the body he had, flexing his arms and legs, clenching his fists, bending and unbending. Still not completely used to it, he walked unsteadily to the mouth of the alley, avoiding the garbage bags and piles of discarded refuse.

As he walked, he tripped and almost fell down, only quick reflexes saving him from smashing his face into the pavement. _At least this body appears to be in peak condition for a human_ , he mused. He turned around to see what had tripped him. Two extended legs were slowly retreating, folding into a large cardboard box. He peered inside.

"Hey, bro, how 'bout you spare a buck?"

A scruffy looking human, with not much life and no health whatsoever left in him. Beltheniel extended an invisible tendril of his power to explore the human's soul, then retreated it quickly in disgust. The soul was cold, soiled and ossified by loneliness; abandoned by all, including its owner, who was too concerned with the demands of his body – demands for whatever substance he was addicted to, to the extent that any other consideration was pushed away.

Fighting his disgust, he extended the questing tendril again and saw the mark of a lesser demon on the human's soul. He scowled, knowing it for a favorite ploy – appear to give the mortal what he wants, then turn around and make him suffer.

Hating the cruel games of his kind, he quickly reviewed his options. He could not heal the human. That power was beyond him. He could replace the mark on the human's soul with his own, thus challenging the other demon, but that was a bad idea. He was never powerful. His own weakness in a world where only raw power was respected was what made him question his existence in the first place.

He shook his head. The human made his choice; both he and his soul would have to suffer the consequences. He turned to go, then something made him stop. He placed his hand inside the inner pocket of the leather jacket he was wearing and it came out with a wallet. It was thick, stuffed with banknotes of several denominations. Not certain yet of the value of the banknotes, he selected one with the smallest number he could find and gave it to the human.

"Here, knock yourself out!"

"A… a hundred bucks? You kiddin' me, bro? I ain't one for kiddin'!"

He frowned, his fist clenching around the banknote. "I'm not used to mort – people rejecting my offers" he said in a dangerous voice.

The scruffy looking man extended a shaking hand and grabbed the banknote. Beltheniel released it and it quickly disappeared under the filthy coat.

"Thank you, bro, thank you a thousand times –"

"Shut up!" Beltheniel growled, the man's whiny thanks grating on his nerves. He straightened up and walked onto the main street, followed by the thanking and apologizing coming from the whimpering beggar.

 _I have just murdered him. He will only use it to get more of whatever poison is killing him. He will probably be dead by tomorrow morning._

The thought gave him neither satisfaction nor remorse. He shrugged his shoulders and walked away.

* * *

Beltheniel observed his reflection in the store window, pretending to study the merchandise on display. He appeared young, in human terms somewhere around eighteen years old. That meant some sixty years of this existence left, unless cut short by accident, disease or malice. _What can they do in such a short time? Why can't we do something worthwhile with the millennia that are allotted to us?_

He sighed, pushing the questions from his mind, returning to the study of himself. Closely cropped, dark brown hair; eyes so dark they almost appear black and a swarthy complexion. Tall, muscular body with wide shoulders and graceful movements. A perfectly straight, horizontal scar in the middle of his forehead.

 _So, I have brought some of my characteristics with me_. He smiled grimly. There was no escaping what he was.

His fists clenched. _No! I will be what I make of myself, not what I've been made to be!_

He turned and walked away from the shop window, his hands stuffed in his pockets, his head bent. After a few blocks of aimless walking his mind calmed down. _I have to find a place to stay_ , he thought. _The needs of the mortal body must be attended to_.

As that thought passed through his mind, he became aware of an unpleasant sensation in his belly, followed by a rumbling, gurgling sound. He was hungry.

He walked down the street, soon finding a place where he could buy a hamburger and a soda. He ate it all without thinking about taste or quantity. The only thing he was concerned with was the reduction of the unpleasant feeling in his gut. Having achieved that, he continued his aimless wandering through the streets of the city.

He knew a lot about mortals and their world, their customs and social interactions. It was required knowledge for any demon; and being one whose only claim to fame was having a sharp, inquiring mind, he probably knew more about them than most of his siblings.

He acquired a newspaper and started looking for rooms for rent. He started his search.

Soon he found what he considered an acceptable solution. The room was small but had a microwave and a tiny fridge. The bathroom was also small, but it was his; he wouldn't have to share it. Most importantly, it was separated from the rest of the house and had its own entrance. He paid for three months in advance, the landlord happy to be paid in cash.

He laid down on the bed, thinking about what to do next. Money, that mortals valued so highly, was not an issue. He could use his power to replicate any bill as many times as he wanted. That left him free to pursue his quest and find his answers.

 _Who am I? Why am I here?_

Night fell. It was a good time to get to know the city. He rose from his bed, still fully clothed, and left the room. A warding spell on the door made it glow red for a brief instant, giving him much greater security than any lock or key.

His dark clothing helped him blend into the gloom. As night fell, he risked it and called on his power, floating quickly up, above the levels of the streetlights. This made him virtually invisible from below. He floated over the streets, taking in the sights. He flew ever up, until the entire city shone like a multifaceted jewel under him.

He floated down, noticing a brightly lit square. A magnificent cathedral stood proudly in the center of the square. He floated closer, admiring its architecture, the towers reaching up to the Heavens, the solid foundations keeping everything firmly planted in the Earth.

 _They can make such beauty._

He flew even closer, making sure he was not visible from the ground. He alighted on a frieze, beside a stone gargoyle leering down at the square. He sat on the frieze and relaxed. The gargoyle turned its head towards him, its leer now dangerous.

 _You should not be here._

"I have no hostile intentions. I am just enjoying the view."

 _I know. We would have attacked you already if it were otherwise. But you should not be here._

"I just want to –"

 _This is not a place for your kind. Go._

"Very well" he said and flew away. He grinned to himself. While his curt dismissal was to be expected, he was actually amazed that the gargoyle spoke to him. The ancient defenders of the cathedral did not usually waste their time talking to interlopers.

He continued his flight, without any specific aim in his mind. He heard an explosion. Mildly interested, he turned and flitted towards the sound.

A building – a museum? The large doors were blasted open, a man stepping through them, dressed in a ludicrous black costume, carrying a sack slung over his back. He had a short beard and a frightened air about him. His eyes darted around, seeking, fearing.

Beltheniel landed in an alley, far from prying eyes, and walked over towards the museum entrance. People were running away from the black-clad villain, but Beltheniel couldn't see any reason to fear the absurdly dressed man with the idiotic beard. His curiosity piqued, he walked ever closer.

"Hold!" The man cried as he saw Beltheniel, his voice shrill, complementing the fear in his eyes. _Who – or what – does he fear?_

"Nobody can stop Doctor Light!" the man proclaimed pompously, eliciting a sarcastic grin on Beltheniel's face as he continued to approach. Beltheniel had no intention of doing anything, he was just curious. But the man seemed frightened out of his wits. He saw Beltheniel's grin and the fear made him react.

"You are not one of them! I can take you! Doctor Light is invincible!"

He launched a light bolt at Beltheniel. The bolt struck the mortal demon, tossing him back and slamming him onto the pavement. Doctor Light cackled, certain now of his victory. Beltheniel rose from the ground painfully, his anger mounting. _Stupid mortal! How dares he?_ He pulled himself together, realizing that revealing himself would be catastrophic. This fight he could do without. He turned and started limping away.

"No one escapes Doctor Light!" he heard. He whipped around, creating a red shield with a wave of his hand. The light bolt struck it and the shield dissolved, its job done, but the power of the strike threw Beltheniel to the pavement again. His anger turning into rage, he rose again, facing the strangely dressed man.

"Leave me!" he ordered as the scar on his forehead opened and an eye appeared, rimmed in black fire, golden in color, the pupil slitted like a cat's. The eye looked at Doctor Light, and Doctor Light looked into the eye.

"Darkness… _Darkness!_ No! _Not again, the darkness!_ "

Light turned to run, his hand still clutching at the sack over his back. Beltheniel moved to melt into the shadows and leave, hoping nobody saw what he did. He glanced behind him and stopped.

Five figures appeared in front of the unfortunate Doctor Light. He skidded to a halt, dropping to his knees, the sack with loot forgotten. He stared with bulging eyes at one of the newly arrived figures, a slim female wrapped in a blue cloak, a hood obscuring her face.

"No! Please, not the darkness! Away, just keep it away! Please…"

He whimpered, turning his body away from her, his arms folded protectively over his head, terror overcoming him.

"Stand down, Rae!"

"I didn't do anything."

"Why is he so afraid?"

"Hey, momma, he sure remembers last time, doesn't he?"

She turned to the small green youth that just said the words and spoke slowly to him. "I _didn't do anything_ , Beast Boy!"

"Yeah, tell that to him!"

Beltheniel stared intently at the blue-cloaked girl. There was something… _familiar_ about her. He sent an invisible, questing tendril of his power to look at her soul. The tendril touched, sensed, recoiled. Beltheniel's mind was shocked, trying to sort out what he just felt.

She sensed his probing, whirling around and floating quickly towards him, her arms wide, black mist gathering around her hands, her mouth whispering words of power. But Beltheniel could not move or speak, still in a state of shock after feeling her soul, trying to understand, unravel, comprehend.

"Who are you? _What_ are you?" she demanded as she floated closer.

Beltheniel's mind shook off the daze slowly. He looked at her violet eyes, glowing under her hood, and gave her a wan smile.

"Greetings, sister."

Her eyes widened as she recognized what he was, a white flame kindling in them. "I am not your sister. I have renounced your kind. Go back where you came from, or I will send you there!"

His mind was almost fully recovered now. He pushed his awe and amazement down, realizing now was not the time to dwell on it.

"Not sister by birth, but sister by kind. You are the same as I."

He studied her with more care, extending another tendril of power to inspect her fully.

"I see now. I apologize. It is half-sister. There are not many such around. I never expected to meet one of you."

" _Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"_ she intoned, eliciting a pained frown from Beltheniel. The name of Azarath was not something a demon was comfortable hearing, especially when followed by words of power. An invisible wall severed the tendril and cut off his connection with her.

" _Do not call me that!_ " she hissed through clenched teeth. "I am not one of you, in whole or in part!"

Beltheniel kept his hands slightly away from his body, palms forward, in a posture indicating peaceful intentions. One of the few clear things he saw in her soul was that she would not attack if he did not offer violence.

"Half of your soul is" he said. "You know that as well as I do. Why run away from it?"

The white fire in her eyes winked out. "There is nothing to run away from. I am who I am, and not what you may want – or what He made me be."

His mind recoiled from her words as he gasped, a million unconnected thoughts suddenly unchained. Only a few hours on the mortal plane, and already his search may be over, his questions answered. She did it, he knew. She challenged and conquered. She defined herself by her own will. She could show him, teach him. His mind was awhirl, the thoughts chasing each other inside his head, confusing him. Perversely, of all the myriad questions he had, he mouthed the least relevant one.

"He? Who is He?"

She studied him carefully, then suddenly stepped up towards him, taking his head in her hands. She stood like that for a second and then jerked back, her breath hissing in.

"You… are mortal? You are a demon… but you are not!"

"I have made a Choice" he whispered.

Her eyes went wide. "That is a legend, even amongst demonkin! Do not lie to me!"

"I am not lying to you. I made a Choice and I appeared on this plane a few hours ago. I have questions. You have answers. Please, help me!"

The girl's companions approached, having secured the black-clad villain. Their apparent leader, dressed in a colorful costume, spoke as he stopped near them.

"Raven, is everything all right? Who is this guy?"

"Raven? Is that your name?"

She just stared at him, not answering either of them.

"I am Beltheniel. At least among mortals."

"I don't care. Go away!" she told him finally. "I am through with you. Done with your kind! _Leave me alone!_ " she cried. Transforming into a ghostly black bird, she flew away.

"Raven! Wait! You must help me!" he shouted after her, trying to follow, when a strong hand clasped over his forearm, not allowing him to pursue her.

"Not so fast, buddy. We have some questions for you."

"And I have questions for her!" Beltheniel snarled, losing control. His voice became a growl, his third eye opened, his teeth lengthened and sharpened.

Raven's friends stepped back, alert but unafraid. Beltheniel pulled himself together and reversed the transformation.

"I have no quarrel with you. I must find her, talk to her. She knows. She can help me, teach me!"

"Help you how? Teach you what? Who are you? Where do you come from?"

"I don't have time for this!" Beltheniel snapped, jerking his hand away from the grip, flying back and up. "I must find her!"

He zoomed away, letting his power explode from him in a thousand feelers, each questing, searching, probing. He had to find her. She had to help him.

The feelers came back empty, just to be sent out again in a desperate attempt to locate her. He flew around the city, blind now for all of its charms, both beautiful and dark, focused only on his all-consuming need. After several fruitless hours, he finally conceded defeat and landed, exhausted, before the entrance to his room.

* * *

The librarian lifted her eyebrow at the selection of books he submitted.

"Researching demonology?" she said with a smirk.

"Comparative mythology. I am majoring in anthropology."

"For a minute there I thought you were a whacko" she said, her smirk turning into a smile. "I'll get you these, but I'll have to look for some of them downstairs. Sit down and wait a few minutes."

She returned promptly, pushing a cart laden with heavy tomes. "I can tell this is for serious research, not just plugging holes in a newspaper story" she said.

"Yes? And why is that?" he replied, looking at her with interest. She was biologically about his age or slightly older, and quite good looking.

"The publishers are well-known, serious houses" she replied. "Not your usual paranormal crap that people request daily. Also, I never heard of the authors, which means they're not much in the public eye. Of all the books, _The Golden Bough_ is the only one I recognize."

He grinned at her, aware of yet another need that the mortal body required satisfying. "Do you have any interest in these things?" he asked.

"Just in passing" she smiled at him.

"Maybe we could get together, you know, if you need me to show you anything…"

Her smile widened slightly. "That sounds awfully like asking me out on a date."

"Maybe because it is" he said, his lips curling ever so slightly up.

"I get off at six" she said. "Do you mind if I go like this?"

"I don't mind as long as you don't mind me going like this!"

"You'll do" she laughed.

"Then I'll finish by six, and we can go together."

"You got a deal, mister!"

He finished most of his research by six o'clock, all important information written down in a notebook he was carrying.

"So, what's your name?" she asked as they walked out of the library, her arm wrapped around his.

"Bel" he said, giving the name that was in the personal documents he carried. "Bel Theniel."

"Ooh. An exotic name. I'm just Sue."

"Pleased to meet you, Just Sue" he said, grinning at her.

She laughed, a pleasant, tinkling sound. "Funny one, aren't you?"

He smiled, aware of the comfortable tension he felt inside. _I could use some unwinding_ , he thought.

They strolled for a while. "Do we have any destination planned?" he asked her.

"I'm fine. If you're getting tired, we could sit and have a coffee."

"Not tired, but the coffee is a good idea."

They sat down, talking about inconsequential things, when she finally broached the subject.

"So. Demons."

"Yes, demons. What do you want to know?"

"Well, where they come from, how they live, what they do… Everything and anything!"

He chuckled. "It would depend whose mythology you study. Most folklore will have a different definition of demons, what they do, their motivations and so on."

"Is there anything they agree on?"

"Of course. First, all lore agrees they are not from the Earth – not space aliens, of course, rather from a different plane of existence. Also, most lore will state that demons have common heritage with their polar opposites."

"Opposites? You mean angels?"

"Yes. Demons are fallen angels according to Jewish myth, which was later picked up by Christianity and Islam. But it goes deeper than that. Older lore will usually relate demons with fertility rites; which is why they are usually depicted with exaggerated male or female sexual organs."

"Spirits of Nature, of the land?"

"Actually, their opposites" he said with a chuckle. "Remember that they're not from our world. But they share an ancestry; they were created from the same stuff as the Gods, the angels, the spirits and souls. In ancient rites, they would fertilize Mother Nature who in turn gave out her bounty. Ancient Greeks made human sacrifices in order for crops to grow; the King would be torn apart by horses over the first plowed line. The Aztecs and the Mayas sacrificed prisoners by ripping out their still-beating hearts; many other peoples also had some pretty nasty rituals, quite demonic by today's standards."

"So they are not necessarily evil?"

"Mostly they are agents of chaos and destruction. This sounds pretty evil, but the point is that you can't have creation without destruction, life without death, light without shadow. They are the darkness necessary for us to be able to see the stars and the chill that makes the hearth fire so welcoming."

"You're a poet" she said, placing her hand over his. "Your eyes shine when you talk about it."

He smiled, slightly abashed. "It's one of my favorite topics."

She looked at him for a moment and then said, her mind made up. "Let's go, my place is just around the corner."

In her apartment, they sat and talked for a while. He put his arm around her, bringing her closer. She put her head on his shoulder, her hand on his chest, and shuddered, suddenly shy.

"What is it?" he asked gently.

"I'm not usually so straightforward. You're ringing my bell for some reason. It is a bit strange to me."

He kissed the top of her head. "Do you want me to leave?"

She shook her head. "No, not that. It's just… something in you calls me, and I feel… peculiar."

He looked at her soul and was pleased and surprised at what he saw. Pleased, because she was caring, joyful, loving. Surprised, because she was a natural medium. Her life in a technological society made her ignore the power of her soul. Untrained and neglected, her power could only manifest itself through such feelings as she had now.

He lowered his head to hers and kissed her gently. She responded with urgency, but he would not be hurried.

"We have all the time in the world" he whispered.

* * *

She slept, her head pillowed on his shoulder, her arm thrown across his chest. He smiled to himself. He had given her pleasure she didn't know existed. Almost a millennium of living amongst succubi and incubi had made him pick up a few tricks here and there.

It felt good to give pleasure through gentleness. But she derived pleasure also from pain, he thought, looking at the bite marks he left on her throat, knowing there were more on her breasts and her thighs. So what was right? Pain or pleasure? Were they both the opposite facets of a single sensation?

The questions threatened to unleash an avalanche of further doubts and he knew he could not bear to think about it now. He forced it all down, willing himself to enjoy the moment, allowing the warmth of her body to fill him with joy.

A part of him rebelled against it, seeking other types of pleasure, long denied. To slash, gnaw and rip; to feel warm blood trickle down his mouth and face, to sense her life ebbing away, her soul shriek as he possessed it.

Which one was right? Which one was _him?_

He sighed and dismissed it all away. For now, he was content. What the future will bring was unknown on this plane.

* * *

She desperately tried to calm down, but she was unable to concentrate and focus. Floating a foot off the floor in lotus position, she chanted her mantra, trying to bring some semblance of calm to her shattered thoughts.

There was a knock on the door.

 _Just what I needed._

Sighing in exasperation, she stretched her legs to the floor, canceling the levitation. She walked to the door and opened it just a crack.

"Are you all right? Who was that guy?"

"It's nothing. If you don't mind, I need to meditate."

"Raven, please. We are your friends! We are concerned for you!"

"There is nothing you can do. Please leave me alone." She made to close the door, but he forced it back open.

"Rae, for better or worse we share a bond. I can feel that it's ripping you apart. I want to help you!"

Her gaze dropped. "I know" she whispered. "But there is nothing you or anyone else can do. This is my problem, and I have to solve it myself. Alone." As she spoke the last words, she looked up at him, her gaze defying him.

"No" he said firmly. "I will not accept that any more. I care – we all care for you too much to let you go back to what you were."

She could feel his love, his friendship and his concern for her radiating from him. It almost overwhelmed her. She closed her eyes for a moment, sighed and opened the door wide.

"Very well. Come in."

He walked in, sat on a chair facing her. "What happened?"

She looked at the wall, eyes unfocused, deciding how best to begin.

"Do you remember that Doctor Light was scared out of his mind when we arrived?"

He nodded. "I thought that you frightened him again, but you said you didn't do anything."

"I didn't. He was scared by that guy."

"I see. You know, when you left, he started transforming into… something. He had a third eye."

She nodded. "He is not human. He is a demon, and yet he is not."

"A demon? Was he sent by your father?"

Her eyes blazed. "Do not call him that!"

"Sorry. Did Trigon send him?"

"No. I am certain of that. I sensed him, and it shook me. He is a demon, but he has shed his demon visage and became mortal. It is something that is called the Choice."

"Choice?"

"Yes. That is the strange thing. The Choice is practically a legend. According to lore, the last time any demon made it was over two thousand years ago. Everything about it is obscure, because it is a very rare thing."

"What is it?"

"Putting it very simply, when a demon does not wish to be a demon any more, it is his only way out. He is transformed into a mortal, lives his days as a mortal, and when he dies he is tried and judged according to his actions as a mortal."

"Are you telling me that we have a 'good' demon on our hands?"

She scowled at him, suddenly angry. "There is no such thing! Demons are evil, twisted, perverted! They only find joy in destruction and death!"

He scowled back. "Take a deep breath and think on what you said" he told her evenly.

She was about to reply heatedly, but then she thought better of it. She smiled.

"Thank you for the vote of confidence. But I am half human, and he is not. He has nothing that could counter the evil inside him."

He was silent for a few seconds, pondering what she said.

"OK, if that is your opinion. You are our expert on the issue."

He rose from the chair, started for the door, then turned to her.

"He said he needed your help. That he had questions for you."

"I'd rather not be an assistant to demons. Last time I was, I almost destroyed the world."

He smiled at her. "And you saved it."

She smiled back at him. "I did. Now please leave me to my meditation."

He nodded, still smiling, turned and left her room.

* * *

"Do you have to leave?" Sue asked him, propped on her elbow, watching him as he got up from the bed and started dressing himself.

"Didn't have enough?" he grinned at her.

She frowned. "It's not that. It's just that… I want to be with you."

He used his power to feel her soul again. It was vibrant, alive, reacting to his presence with joy. He sat on the bed, still half-dressed, and stroked her hair, finally cupping her face in his hand. "I must go. I have things I have to do. But if you want, I can return."

"I do want. Or even better, I could go with you."

"No. What I need to do, I need to do alone."

She was silent for a second. "Is there someone else?"

"Don't be silly" he told her, then smiled at her. "Even if there was someone else, I doubt I could find the strength to be… unfaithful."

She giggled. "Yeah, it was pretty intense."

"That is one way of describing it."

He rose and finished dressing, while she watched his every move. He gave her a gentle kiss and went for the door.

"Bel?" she asked, suddenly serious.

"Hmmm?"

"Come back soon."

He grinned at her again. "I will. I promise."

He left her apartment and walked home. It was already dark, a slight breeze refreshing the otherwise oppressive heat radiating from the steel and concrete warmed up by the sun during the day.

He walked briskly, his intention clear to him. The information that he gathered from the books in the library helped him define the necessary bounds of his summoning. He needed only a few things more, then he could cast his magic and use it to find the elusive Raven.

He walked into a computer store and soon walked out with a cheap laptop, a small inkjet printer and a software package for making horoscopes. He grinned to himself. Leave it to mortals to turn a real mystical discipline – astrology – into a game of wishful thinking such as horoscopes. But it mattered not, the software would calculate and display the position of the heavenly bodies and their relationships; he needed that information to know how to place the mystic barriers, where to orient the pentagram and several other crucial requirements for the spell. Not to find out if he would meet a tall, dark stranger.

He also located a shop that offered magic tricks and paraphernalia for sleight-of-hand. There he purchased black candles and chalk dust. The few components he was still missing would have to be freshly obtained in the moment of casting the spell. A live chicken or pigeon would do the trick.

He cut through several alleys to get home quickly. Lost in his internal reverie, he failed to notice the shadows slinking behind him and did not hear the stealthy footsteps following him.

"Christmas coming early this year for us" a mocking voice startled him.

He stopped in his tracks, looking up. Two big humans were blocking his way, one of them twirling a tire iron, the other holding a hunting knife in a steady hand.

"You don't want to do this. Turn around and leave" he said.

The tire iron wielder laughed. "Yah. We'll leave, as soon as we have all your stuff." Still twirling the iron, he advanced on Beltheniel. The arm went up, the tire iron arced down.

Beltheniel was not there any more. One quick step to the side and one smash of a fist into the mugger's gut, and the thug rolled on the ground, gasping for air.

The second one's eyes narrowed as he feinted with the knife, carefully studying his opponent. Beltheniel realized this was no simple street bully. This man knew how to use his weapon.

The knife swung up in an eviscerating move, to suddenly stab forward as Beltheniel pulled back. He spun around, letting the knife pass an inch from his throat, continuing his spin to smash a fist in the mugger's temple.

The mugger ducked, Beltheniel's fist whistling harmlessly over his head, while his knife sliced back and in, cutting through leather jacket, shirt and skin. The burning, icy pain made Beltheniel gasp. His anger mounted. Soon he would not be able to control himself.

They exchanged lunges and counters. The thug feinted right, then stabbed at Beltheniel's eyes. Jerking his head, Beltheniel avoided most of it, but the blade left a bloody gash on his cheekbone.

"You should have left when you could" Beltheniel said, his voice a low growl. The mugger sprung back, his eyes widening. Beltheniel's index and middle fingers fused into one thick finger tipped with a long, sharp talon. The ring and little finger did likewise. The thumb lengthened, thickened and also extruded a curved talon. The claw swiped, leaving three bleeding gashes on the thug's chest.

With a strength born of panic and desperation, the mugger stabbed at the creature before him. The heavy blade of the knife penetrated the jacket and clothing and stopped. The slashed clothes parted, revealing thick scales covering Beltheniel's body. The other claw grabbed the thug's head and squeezed.

Licking the blood and brains from his claw with a long, forked tongue, Beltheniel turned to the other mugger, now crawling towards the wall encasing the alley, incredulous whines escaping from his constricted throat, his eyes filled with horror.

Beltheniel grinned at him, showing his long, serrated teeth, made for ripping out large chunks of flesh. The golden, slit-pupiled eye stared at the thug hungrily. The claws descended, grabbing and holding the mugger. The head came down. The jaws opened, shut, jerked back.

Releasing all his rage, Beltheniel indulged in a paroxysm of carnage. It lasted half a minute. As his rage turned into delicious satisfaction, Beltheniel picked up the mugger's head, recently ripped off from the body, and impaled it on the tire iron, slamming the other end of the iron into the wall and leaving it embedded there, the mugger's head still on it, slowly dripping blood to the ground.

Beltheniel breathed heavily, not from the exertion, but from the almost orgasmic pleasure that was running through his body. His tongue licked over his face, picking up the last drying drops of blood smeared over it. It was _good_.

He transformed back to his human form. A quick spell phased off the blood and guts stuck on him, leaving him clean, though his clothes were still torn. The knife wounds he suffered were almost closed, his demonic form regenerating quickly. He surveyed his work with one last satisfied look and left the alley, carrying the bags with his purchases.


	2. Chapter 2

Her communicator buzzed.

"Rae? Sorry to bother you, but could you please join us in the Ops room? We need you here."

She sighed. Robin wouldn't be interrupting her if it wasn't really important. She rose from her lotus stance and clasped the cloak around her shoulders, leaving her room.

As she was approaching the Ops room, Starfire zoomed past her, both hands covering her mouth. There was a greenish tinge to her face and it was unusually pale. Her distress radiated from her in sickening waves. To feel such an emotion from the normally happy, bubbly, joyful alien confused Raven, leaving an aftertaste of anger in her mouth.

 _What did this to her? If it was one of Beast Boy's pranks, I swear I'll…_

She considered for a moment going after Starfire. She was in obvious need of comfort. She wrenched herself from it, forcing her mind back on track. Robin sounded serious.

She floated into the Ops room. The first thing she noticed was Cyborg standing close to the door, his face also pale, his eye squeezed shut. She felt him fighting to control his anger and revulsion.

 _What in the Nine Hells is going on?_

Robin's voice startled her.

"Rae, good you're here. I need you to look at this" he said, his voice tense. He bent over the console to touch a few buttons.

"It's surveillance footage from a security camera. Fair warning, it's… unnerving."

She looked at the main monitor. She saw Beltheniel facing the muggers, transforming himself. She saw the butchery, the blood spurting, a few drops splashing on the camera lens. But it was the expression of bestial joy in Beltheniel's demonic face that made her bile rise.

Fighting the nausea, she said "We have to find it. We have to find it and destroy it."

Beast Boy was scowling. He was handling it a lot better than the others, but she could still feel his disgust, together with an undercurrent of cold rage.

"I dunno, dude. Sometimes when I turn into a predator, I get… urges. But this is just sick. Rae's right."

Robin nodded slowly, his emotions held steady in an iron grip.

"We do not kill. We often put ourselves into danger just to avoid placing the lives of our opponents in jeopardy. But this is not just a villain. This… _thing_ … must be destroyed."

Raven closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down. "It's decided, then. I'll go check on Starfire. It affected her."

"I'll do it" said Robin. "I need you to think of the best way to rid the world of that demon."

"I'll be in my room" she said and flitted out.

A few minutes later she was back in her room, getting ready to resume her meditation, when she heard a soft knocking on her door.

Puzzled, she opened the door to see a very serious Beast Boy looking at her.

"Hi Rae. May I come in?"

She lifted her eyebrow. She could sense a maelstrom of conflicting emotions whirling in him. She stepped back, letting him in.

He walked in and turned to her, but he couldn't meet her eyes.

"I came to… to say I'm sorry."

Her eyebrow arched up again. "What for?"

"For everything!" he blurted out. "I was an asshole all this time!"

He finally lifted his eyes and met her gaze. "Until today I had no idea what you had to face every day of your life" he said, his voice trembling slightly. "I mean, yeah, I knew, you being Trigon's… you know. But I had no idea. Not until today. When I saw that video, I realized…"

He swallowed, trying to force the words through his constricting throat.

"I think I finally understand. I think I am starting to see now what you have to go through to keep it from consuming you. And I only made it worse for you all these years."

He paused again, took a deep breath and continued.

"I thought you were rude, cranky, unfeeling. I once even called you a… a creep." He kept his eyes on hers with an obvious effort. "I am sorry, Raven. I just wish… If I'd known it before, I wouldn't have hurt you like I did."

His gaze dropped down to the floor again, his eyes brimming with tears. "Please forgive me" he whispered.

She stepped closer and hugged him, allowing his head to fall on her shoulder.

"It's all right, Garfield. You couldn't have known."

"I should have" he said, his voice breaking up.

She pushed him gently away, kissing his forehead. He looked into her eyes. "I'll leave you now. Thank you for… for putting up with me all this time."

She touched his face and nodded. He turned around and walked to the door. As he was about to leave, she called out.

"Beast Boy?"

He turned around, looking at her.

"No more stankball around me."

His face split in a huge grin. "No problem, momma!"

He slipped out. The door started closing, but suddenly a green hand stopped it. Half of his face appeared, the other half hidden behind the closing door.

"How 'bout _extreme_ stankball?"

She smiled. "Very well, but only if I get to referee."

He flashed her another grin and was gone.

* * *

Beltheniel was on his bed, his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling.

 _I enjoyed it. It was almost like… with Sue._

He shook his head. _No, not like that. I mean yes, while it was happening… I lost myself in the rage, just like I had lost myself in love. Both consuming, both satisfying, both pleasuring me incredibly._

He rubbed his suddenly burning eyes.

 _And yet, it did not bring peace. It only brought a craving for more. Like a drug. I wanted to keep killing, maiming, biting and slashing. I wanted to destroy everything, until there was nothing left to destroy._

The train of thought ran through his head, shaking his soul.

 _And what then? When we destroy everything, what then? Will we fall on each other, until only one remains, the strongest, most ruthless one? Will he turn then upon himself, devouring himself like Ouroboros, until nothing remains but primeval Chaos?_

 _Will that Chaos bring forth a new world? Are we, then, the ultimate creators of everything?_

He squeezed his eyes shut. Even if it was true, that future was denied to him. But for now, his decision was made.

 _I will not give in to it. Ever again._

He rose from his bed, turned on the laptop and waited until it initialized. He started the astrology software and inputted the geographic coordinates for Jump City. Selecting an animation to represent the next seven days, he watched as the symbols of the planets and constellations slowly rotated.

 _The night after next, then._

He stopped the animation and studied the screen. Satisfied, he made a printout to have at hand.

He stretched, realizing he was tense. He should do something about it. He grinned. _I know just the thing_.

He left the room and went to Sue's apartment.

* * *

She opened the door and her eyes shone upon seeing him. He smiled and took her in his arms.

"Missed me?" he said gently as she embraced him tightly.

She didn't answer, except to tighten her embrace. They walked to the living room and sat on the couch, still holding each other.

He touched her soul. It was fluttering, full of joy because of his presence, but also anxious and slightly apprehensive. He looked at her,

"What is it, Sue? You're afraid of something."

She buried her face deeper into his chest, silent. He stroked her hair.

"Come on, you can tell me."

"I'm afraid of me. I'm afraid of _you_. I was thinking about you all night. I can't get you out of my mind. I never felt like this before. What have you done to me?"

A sensation of almost physical pain went through his chest. "Sue…"

"I'm behaving like a schoolgirl crushing badly" she said, her head still buried in his chest, her voice muffled.

He sighed. His power touched her soul again, trying to bring it comfort and calm. He was clumsy, used to ripping souls from mortal bodies, bringing them pain and terror, not calm and peacefulness. He suddenly felt the urge to tighten his grip on her soul, to wrench it out screaming and possess it while she was still alive; the ultimate act of rape.

Rage at himself rose, rage for even feeling the urge. But as much as the rage was directed to the demonic part of him, it actually strengthened it. His power thickened, the tendril soothing her soul wrapped around it, darkening, becoming almost visible. Like a drowning man grasping for a straw, he clutched at her love, realizing in a flash that it was his only chance.

Peace washed over him, his power returning to its ethereal consistency. He held her closer, his hands shaking. He took a deep breath.

She lifted her head and looked at him. "I'm sorry. I felt you tense up when I told you. You must think I'm…"

"Hush. It has nothing to do with you, and everything to do with me."

Allowing herself to be calmed by his words, she lowered her head on his chest again.

"Sue?"

"Mmhmm?"

"I'm sorry. I just lied to you. It does have to do with you. You also make me feel… strange. I've never felt like this before. I've never known I _could_ feel like this before."

She said nothing, just burrowed closer to him. He lowered his head and breathed deeply the scent of her hair. It made him dizzy. His hands cupped her face, lifting it towards him. He kissed her. Time stopped having meaning.

They lay on the couch, the narrow space making them snuggle close to each other, arms and legs entwined. Neither of them complained about it.

 _Peace. It brings me peace, it brings me joy, it makes me… happy._ She _makes me happy. Is this what I'm looking for? Or is it just an unwelcome distraction from my quest?_

He shook his head slightly. _Unwelcome it is not_.

He looked at her. _If I ever give in to the rage_ … The thought of hurting her made him feel ill.

 _But there are many ways of hurting. She doesn't know me. If she knew what I was, would she still…?_

A small shudder passed through him. He had to know, but he dared not reveal himself.

Maybe there was a way. A slow, gradual way.

He projected part of his power into her soul. Again amazed at how alive, vibrant and joyful she was, he started working on her own power slowly, carefully, releasing the entanglements that kept it hidden, forgotten and ignored. Remove a strand of skepticism here, snip a thread of fear of the unknown there. It was a small change, but her power reacted, budding like a flower, feeling him and turning towards him.

 _Her power is strong. I must not hurry. She still does not know how to use or interpret it._

He would continue tomorrow, and the day after that, and after that, too. It would take several days to unchain her power fully. In the meantime, he had to prepare her so she knew what to expect. But he could leave that for tomorrow. Right now he would enjoy her nearness.

* * *

He woke up, sensing a dark shadow passing over him. Something was looking for him. Something hostile.

His first thought was that he was putting her in danger. He got up from bed and started dressing. She stretched, propped herself on an elbow and looked at him.

"Leaving again?"

"I'm sorry, Sue, I have to. I'll be back soon."

She frowned. "You are hiding things from me. I don't like it. It… scares me."

He looked at her, wondering if she simply felt it or if her power was already manifesting itself. He sighed.

"I can't tell you now, Sue. I will, I promise. Give me a few days."

"When will you come back?"

"Tonight, I hope."

She got up from bed, walked over to him, embraced him and kissed him.

"I will wait."

He kissed her back and left.

He walked down the streets, his power extending around him, sensing, probing. Whatever it was that was looking for him wasn't friendly. He had to find out what it was and deal with it.

He caught an echo of the shadow. It was far away, but unmistakable. There was no point in delaying it. His power rose, sending the message.

 _I am here._

The shadow sensed him and approached. He waited.

They were soon in front of him, all five of them. They advanced warily towards him. He kept himself in a non-threatening posture, but this time he felt that it may not keep them from attacking. A sliver of fear pierced his mind, feeding his anger. He pushed it away, not wishing to give in to rage.

"I have no quarrel with you. I do not wish to fight you" he said.

" _We_ have a quarrel with _you_ " the leader of the group said.

Beltheniel was puzzled. "Why? Have I done anything to you? If I did, I apologize."

"You are a demon! A destroyer, a killer! We saw what you did in that alley!"

A strange feeling crept over Beltheniel, darkening his face.

"I'm… sorry. Those mort – those men were trying to kill me. I got angry and I let my rage control me. I… I think I shouldn't have done that."

"It's a bit too late, don't you think?" the leader said, falling into combat stance. "Titans! Go –"

"Hold!" Raven exclaimed. Everybody froze. She floated down to stand before him.

"You are _ashamed?_ "

"I'm… not sure."

Her eyes narrowed. She stepped closer, studying him.

" _Azarath Metrion Zinthos!_ " she said, a bubble of transparent black enclosing them, muffling all external sound. He winced again at the mention of Azarath. He realized that she created the black dome not to keep him in; it was to keep the others out. He wondered what she was up to.

Suddenly, her arm shot up in an arc and her hand slapped his face, hard.

"You pathetic excuse for a demon! _Ashamed?_ "

He looked at her incredulously. She swiped him again, this time with a backhand, both his cheeks stinging now. She may have looked small and fragile, but she had the strength of a coiled steel spring in her. Anger flashed in him, but he gripped it in an iron fist.

"Who created you? Did an imp shit you out and forgot to wipe his ass?" she said contemptuously as she slapped him again.

His anger was threatening to turn into rage. "Don't do that!" he growled,

"Or what? Are you going to stink me away? You weak, cowardly, insignificant waste of demonflesh!"

His fury started boiling, his transformation began. He willed it back with an effort, just as she slapped him again.

"What is it? Afraid of a human? Or is it my demon half that is making you whimper in fear?" Her eyes were burning red now.

His fingers formed into claws and then split into fingers again. His teeth grew, then collapsed back. Scales appeared and disappeared over his skin. Only his third eye opened fully and stayed that way, watching her.

She grabbed his jacket, pulling him down. "On your knees. On your knees before me!" she commanded.

He resisted her pull weakly, too concentrated in controlling his rage. He must not give in. He _could not_ give in. He fell to his knees. _Kneeling before a human!_ It made his rage boil up. He desperately tried to remember Sue's face, tried to picture to himself the colors of her soul. His grip on his fury tightened again. His body was convulsing, still changing into demonic form and back into human.

"Grovel!" she hissed. "Grovel before me! Abase yourself to a mortal!"

It was more than he could bear. His fury exploded, his transformation suddenly full in a split second. He towered over her, arms extended, claws convulsing. She stared at him with contempt.

He bellowed and his arm flashed down to slash at her. He stopped it an inch away from her face.

He transformed back into his human form, his rage suddenly forgotten.

"I will not do it" he whispered.

She stared at him for a moment, then dismissed the black dome around them with a wave of her hand. Her friends surged forward, then stopped, realizing she was not in danger.

" _I will not do it!_ " he shouted at her and the others, turned and started walking away.

"Wait!" she called to him. He stopped, without turning. He felt her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I had to be sure."

He turned and looked into her eyes. Extending a part of his power, he studied her soul. She flinched at the touch, but did nothing to avoid it.

"You were testing me" he said, incredulous.

"Yes. It had to be done. I'm sorry."

"Why?"

"You made a Choice. That is unusual enough. And I felt that you were ashamed. That is unheard of. But I had to know if it was really a part of you or you were just making it up."

"You felt?"

"I am an empath."

"You can feel me?"

"Yes. Speaking of which, would it be too much to ask you to stop groping me?"

He felt heat rise in his face. He realized he was blushing, a strangely human reaction. He retrieved the tendril of power that was probing her soul back into himself.

"Sorry, I…"

"Forget it. Why are you here?"

"I… made a Choice."

"I know that!" she snapped impatiently.

He sighed. "It's a long story."

"Then give me the short version."

He snorted. "Almost a millennium of anguish and questioning and you want a 'short version'?"

She stared at him, silent, waiting, not bothering to answer.

He looked down. "I didn't belong with my brethren."

"Why?"

He gritted his teeth, forcing the words from his mouth.

"Because I am weak."

"I see."

"Do you?"

"You forget who you're talking to."

"I forget _nothing!_ " he shouted at her. "Were you raised in Hell? No, I can feel the taint of the monks of Az – of that holy place on you!" He looked down at her, shaking his head. "You couldn't comprehend. You have seen Hell. You have been there. I can sense it in your soul. But you haven't _lived_ there."

"You said you wanted answers" she told him coldly. She wasn't hostile any more, but she was far from being friendly.

"I… need to know who I am. Where do I belong. Why am I here."

"Just that? Only what the finest minds have been pondering for millennia? What made you think I have the answers?"

"I saw it in you. You faced it, and you won. You defined yourself by your will, not by what you were made to be."

"So did you, just a few minutes ago."

He opened his mouth, shut it. He was struck speechless.

"Did you think it was that easy? Find someone that can give you the magic answer? Solve it all with a few words?"

"I… I don't know. I think… I think I did."

"It doesn't work that way."

"So how does it work? Why won't you help me?" he shouted at her, frustrated.

"Because I can't!" she shouted back.

He closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm down. "There must be something…"

She sighed. "What I can tell you will not help."

"I still want to hear it."

"You have made a Choice. What you do, now and in the future, will decide your ultimate fate. But you will still have to choose every hour of every day. You will wake every morning asking yourself if today will be the day when your choices fail or when your will falters. And you will wonder if the consequences will hurt those you love most. It will follow you, day in and day out. You will never be able to relax, you will always fear to bring your guard down. That is the life you chose. That is the life I chose. Because the alternative was unthinkable."

His shoulders slumped. He realized she was right. She looked at him, a flash of compassion appearing for a moment in her expressionless eyes.

"There are ways to deal with it" she said, putting again a hand on his shoulder, to be able to feel him better. "You can find friendship, love, affection. It will help, but it will also make it more difficult."

Her lips curled into a small smile. "I can see you already found some of it. Keep it. Nourish it. It will be hard, but it will give you strength and hope. That is the best that you can do."

She squeezed his shoulder in sympathy and turned to go.

"You were wrong" he told her. "It does help."

She smiled and joined her friends.

"Raven?"

"What is it?"

"You have done much for me. If you ever need something, you know how to reach me."

"I know, Beltheniel."

* * *

Sue woke up, feeling Bel softly breathing beside her. She placed her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat, remembering. When he returned a few hours ago there was a smile on his face and happiness in his eyes. She had felt a small pang of jealousy, because the only time his eyes were happy was right after they made love. It took only a few minutes for them to turn introspective again, as if a curtain fell behind them, hiding him from the world. She had reached for him hungrily, like she always did, but he gently soothed her wound-up nerves until she relaxed. They made love slowly, languidly at first. As her breath quickened, her body reacting to his touches and kisses, she began to realize that this time it was different. He was not as masterful as before, taking her body and controlling it until release washed over them both. This time he was much more… _involved_. His caresses were as skillful as before, but his touches almost sparked with energy aching to flow from him into her, his soul wanting to mingle with hers, craving for the two of them to become one, not only in body but in mind and soul.

She softly caressed him, being careful not to wake him up. The desire to look deep into him rose in her; to gaze into his secretive mind and hidden soul. He was _hers_ , she knew that now. But she needed to know who he was, she wanted to share his secrets, to be a part of him.

Something in her reacted to her wish. A part of her mind floated out, searching for him, even though she could see him in the gloom, hear his soft breathing, feel the warmth of his body. And yet that part of her mind groped around, unseeing, unfeeling. She concentrated on it, puzzled, and tried to give it directions, but it did not work. She tried to open herself to the new feeling, pouring into it what she felt for him.

That did work. Her new sense felt her emotions and found the source, identifying it, then connected immediately to him, exposing him fully, her mind suddenly flooded with his pain, anguish, darkness and hatred.

She gasped, jerking back and almost falling from the bed. Her new sense was riveted on him unmercifully, peeling back layers of rage and viciousness, revealing the dark beast within. A terrified whimper rose in her throat. He woke with a start, raising himself in the bed, looking at her with deep concern.

She backed from him until she reached the wall, terrified. She tried to scream, but only a soft moan escaped her constricted throat. He got off the bed and approached her. She huddled in the corner of the room, fear radiating from her. She felt that her own fear was deepening the darkness in him, feeding his beast, making it grow ever more menacing.

He knelt beside her, lifted his hand to touch her face. She jerked her head to try and avoid his touch, but his fingers brushed her cheek, leaving burning spots on her face.

"Sue…" he whispered. "Please. Do not be afraid."

She whimpered, trying to hide, burrow into the wall, disappear.

"Please. At least, try to see all of me, not only the darkness" he whispered softly as he tried to touch her again.

His words slowly reached her mind. She forced herself to focus on him, now aware of a soft, red light behind the blackness. As she noticed it, it started glowing brighter, slowly pushing away the darkness and fear. She could now see his love, his concern, his fear. Her muscles, cramped with terror, started relaxing; her ragged breath became quieter, her throat finally allowed her to whisper a question.

"Bel?"

"Shhh. Yes, it's me. You have seen me."

"It was dark…"

He put his arms around her. She flinched again at his touch, but soon relaxed as she felt his familiar, soothing scent and heard the sound of his heart drumming desperately in his chest.

"I know. I will tell you everything. But first you need to calm down, relax."

He scooped her up in his arms and carried her over to the bed, putting her gently on it. She studied him through her newfound sense, noting the interplay between darkness and light, love and hate, rage and peace.

Shudders still shook her body as he sat on the bed, watching her. She looked at him, confused.

"What was that? Did I… What did I do?"

"You are a medium" he told her. "You have the power to sense others and connect with them, no matter who, what or where they are."

She struggled to understand. "You mean I can… talk to the dead?"

He smiled. "That is only part of it. You are the perfect communicator. You can see and connect to anyone or anything. Nothing can be hidden from you. Nothing can escape you. That is why you could see me as I really am."

"I don't know what you are. I saw darkness, and hatred, and fury. But I also saw light and love, compassion and care. I… I don't know what to think."

"Then don't think. Just feel."

"I… I'm scared" she whispered. "Scared of this. Scared of _you_."

The anguish and regret darkened the light in him. He got up.

"I'm sorry, Sue. I never wanted to hurt you. I'll leave you."

"No!" she shouted, jumping from the bed and clutching at him. "Don't!"

Surprised, he embraced her as her head buried itself in his chest, her body shaking, her arms grasping at him.

"Never leave me. Never. Please."

"Shhhh. All right. It's all right. I won't. Shhhh."

He comforted her until her shaking subsided. She held on grimly, like a drowning man to a piece of driftwood.

* * *

The next several hours were spent talking about her newfound power and about his real nature.

"Your power reacted to me. But it wouldn't do it on itself. You had to feel an attraction first, before it would wake."

"Great. So you're telling me I'm attracted to demons?"

"More like attracted to good looking, dark haired guys" he said with a crooked smile on his face.

She smiled back, then sighed. "I still don't understand why you came here" she said.

He rubbed his forehead. "I'll try to explain in human terms. Imagine that all that matters in the world is raw power. The more you have it, the more you are respected and feared. And it is the only thing that matters. There is no love, no compassion, no mercy."

She shuddered at his words. "It sounds awful."

"Words can't describe it. I was doubly cursed. My powers are weak and I have a good mind. Demons do not usually think much, they just live for the moment, enjoying the chaos and destruction and needing or wanting little else beyond that. Weak as I was, I was always on the receiving end, and my mind started asking itself questions. What is the point? Is there anything else beyond it? Why was I here? Was I just made as a toy for other demons to torture and play with?"

He sighed, went on. "But the questioning itself was just the beginning. I started looking for answers. I studied, read, travelled. I visited the mortal realm, learned much about your kin. I visited other realms, also – I even went to Heaven" he said with a wry smile.

"Needless to say, the first few times I was summarily banished. I kept trying until I met an angel that was intrigued enough to listen to me. He was not able to help me; as much as he understood me and wanted to help, I was a demon, and I belonged there even less than I did in Hell."

He frowned. "But he reminded me that I had a Choice. I did not want to make it at first, but there was no other way. I finally decided and appeared in your realm, now fully mortal, limited in the span of my years to a normal, human existence."

Her hand squeezed his, trying to comfort him. He smiled at her, allowing her love and concern to wash over him, soothing his spirit.

"It was amazing that very quickly I ran into a person that was able to help me. Her name is Raven."

She gave a small start. "Raven? The sorceress of the Titans?"

"She is a sorceress, that is true. Who are the Titans?"

She giggled. "You are obviously not from these parts. They are a group of meta-humans – superheroes. They fight evil in whatever shape it appears. They saved this city several times from all sorts of threats. They are always in the news."

"That explains why they wanted to kill me" he said darkly.

She frowned. "They are superheroes. They do not kill."

He shook his head. "It's a question of scale. For them I was an agent of destruction, a dangerous and unpredictable force of Chaos. I had killed two criminals that tried to kill me. I allowed my rage to control me. I butchered them, ripped them to shreds. They saw it and drew their conclusions."

"And yet you are gentle and loving. There is a light shining in you, driving away the darkness. Maybe that is what attracted me to you in the first place."

"Sue, whenever I look to your soul, I see it sparkling in colors, like a rainbow of loving and joy. It was a revelation to me. I realized I wished to be like you. But I never will" he finished grimly.

"Darkness only makes the light shine that much stronger" she whispered to him, putting her arms around him.

 _Wrong. It is the strongest light that casts the darkest shadows._

They both looked up, startled. Four slits opened on the wall, red hellfire burning in them. Fear gripped them.

 _I must thank you, weak one, for releasing her power. She will be useful to me._

"Who are you?" he demanded, his body slowly transforming, reacting to the unspoken threat. His third eye opened and looked into the four eyes glaring balefully at them. Realization hit him like a physical blow. He fell to his knees, his posture submissive, his gaze on the floor.

"My Lord Trigon…"

 _Do not speak to me. The only reason you still exist is because you served my purpose and released her powers. Now I can use them to enter this world through her. Now I can have what has been denied to me. Now I can have revenge._

"Lord Trigon, please, spare her…"

A ghostly, disembodied red hand appeared and swatted him aside to crash against the wall and slump down, barely conscious.

 _Do not presume, weak one. I will use her, and I will crush you. There is nothing you can do._

"NO!" he screamed. "I will not let you!"

Pain shot through him, pain such as he never knew in the thousand years of his tortured existence. It filled his body, overflew his mind, ripped his soul apart. He slumped down on the floor again, screaming.

But his will was still his. He got to his knees, started crawling towards Sue, who was whimpering in paralyzed terror. The sight of her caused an even greater pain to rip through him. He took hold of the agony permeating his body and soul, ignited it into rage and sent it all out in a massive blast at the four eyes. It hit them and winked out, as if it was no more than a puff of smoke.

Terrible laughter tore into his mind.

 _I almost felt that. Who would think that a weakling like you could muster so much power? It must be that disgusting feeling that mortals call… love._

He lunged at the eyes, his claws raking them, passing through them. He sent blast after blast into them, with the same results. All his attacks were as ineffective as throwing a glass of water at a burning house, trying to douse the flames.

Despair gripped him. His mind worked furiously, looking for a way to save Sue.

 _I tire of you. I will deal with you quickly, but I must first do what I came here to do. Watch as I possess her. Watch as I rip her soul out of her body. Watch as I make it mine. Watch and despair._

" _NO!_ " he screamed, despair and anguish overwhelming him. He renewed his attacks, but he could not even touch the malignant eyes.

The disembodied hand took hold of Sue, dragging her closer to the eyes. Suddenly, all emotions were washed away from him, leaving his mind crystal clear. He knew what he had to do.

He closed his eyes, leaving the third one opened and staring at Sue with it. He called out her name, wishing with all the love he held for her to reach her. It burned through her terror and daze. She turned her head and looked at him.

The eye in his forehead darkened, the pupil expanding. Sue felt it drinking her. Pain shot through her, but gentleness flowed from him, soothing her. She gave in to the feeling, pushing aside the pain.

His eye closed. "You cannot have her now" he whispered.

The red hand gripped him.

 _You have made a big mistake, weakling. I will show you just how big._

The hand squeezed. His breath was forced from his body, but he knew that was just the beginning. Blood was forced from his body into his head by the clutching red fingers. He felt the bone in his left forearm snap.

He whimpered, losing what little breath remained in him. His ribs caved in, puncturing his lungs like knives. His spine shattered in several places, but somehow the nerves still transferred the pain from his mangled body, up his spine and into his brain.

Blood poured from his ears, nose and eyes, deafening and blinding him.

 _No. You will not die that easy. I will see to it._

The hand squeezed him even more, squashing his muscles and pulverizing his bones. But his soul was still joined to his body and he was denied the oblivion of death, or even unconsciousness.

The agony was endless. Everything disappeared except for the pain. Time had no meaning. He had no body, the pain came from everywhere. Until it suddenly all stopped.

He fell to the floor in human form, his body healed, but the shadow of the pain still very much alive in his mind. His third eye looked into the four eyes on the wall.

 _You have taken away my tool, so I will have to use you instead. It may be even more entertaining than what I first planned._

Four beams of red light lanced from the four eyes and focused on the eye in his forehead. Red agony burst in his head, obliterating everything else. The eyes on the wall blinked and vanished.

 _I am in you now. I will find her, use her and destroy her. And then I will start on you._

He passed out.

* * *

He awoke, pain still throbbing in his head. It brought the memories back. He rose, groaning, and staggered to where Sue was laying prone on the floor. Her breathing was shallow, her heartbeat weak. The body will not last much without the soul. He needed help.

Dismissing the pain, he concentrated all his anguish and despair and launched his silent wail for help. He silently screamed Raven's name time and again, willing all his emotions into his plea.

A black portal opened in the middle of the room and she stepped through.

"Stop that! You're making my head hurt!"

He stopped his calling, relief washing over him. She looked around, walked over to Sue with a concerned look on her face. Her hands started to glow with a white light as she placed them over Sue's prone body. She scowled, rising to her feet, turning to him.

"Did you do this?" she asked, a dangerous note in her voice.

"Yes, but I… I had to."

She walked over to him, grabbed his hair and pulled his face up, forcing him to look into her eyes. They were blazing white.

"Explain yourself before I destroy every hint of you ever existing" she hissed at him.

"It was… Trigon."

She released her hold, taking a few steps back, her eyes filling with fear.

"No…" she whispered.

"We must take her somewhere where she will be safe" he said, trying to get up and forcing the pain and anguish back. "I need to find a way to reverse it."

Her eyes returned to their normal, expressionless look.

"Pick her up and follow me" she said, as she chanted her mantra and opened a portal. They stepped through it and into the infirmary at the Titan's Tower.

Raven busied herself connecting Sue to the medical monitors and inserting IV drips into her arm. Beltheniel realized this will keep her alive a bit longer – it would keep her from dehydrating and supply her with the basic needs of her body. He still only had a few days left before the body, bereft of soul, gave up.

He clenched his fists as the thoughts went through his mind, his emotions eliciting a quick frown from Raven. She finished what she was doing and pressed a stud on the clasp of her cloak.

"Cyborg, can you come to the infirmary, please? I have a situation."

"What is it?" the voice on the other side answered, the concern obvious even through the modulation of the speaker.

"Just come here, please."

"On my way!"

Less than a minute later he showed up. His eyes – both the human and the implant – quickly appraised the situation, looking at Sue's prone body, then at Beltheniel and finally at Raven. The unspoken question hung in the air.

"She is physically fine" Raven explained, "but she will be deteriorating steadily. I expect trouble to start in a couple of days. Keep an eye on her and make sure she gets what she needs, OK?"

"Will do. Anything you want to tell me?"

"Not right now."

Cyborg rolled his eyes. "I don't know why I even bother asking" he grumbled.

A rare smile lit her face. She put her hand over his metallic paw. "Because you care" she said quietly.

The smile left her face and her eyes returned to her normal, calm and expressionless look.

"We'll be in my room if you need us. Let us know the moment something changes in her state."

Cyborg nodded and watched them leave the infirmary.

* * *

 **Author's note:**

The plot thickens. So far I've managed to keep it the way I envisioned it first, but as usual with me several things have changed from my original concept. We'll see if and how it affects the story. The good thing is that sometimes even I don't have a clear idea what's going to happen :-)

In any case, I hope that you like the story so far. please do leave a review, they are important and help me improve my style. Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:**

This chapter is a bit - well, actually a lot - shorter than usual. The next ones should be back to normal 6-7 k length.

The quotation from _The Assumption of Moses_ further down was taken from Wikipedia for fair use purposes. It's not mine. I still don't own the Teen Titans, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

He followed her into her room. She sat on her bed in lotus position, waving her hand at an armchair close by. He obediently sat on it, looking at the floor.

"I'm waiting" she reminded him after a few moments.

He sighed, looked up into her eyes. "It was Lord Trigon. He wants her. He…"

"I know what he wants. He wants to enter this realm. He wants _me_. Your girlfriend… I assume that is your girlfriend. What is his interest in her?"

"He wants _you?_ " Beltheniel asked, amazed.

"Later. Now start from the beginning."

He took a deep breath and started his story. "After we first met, I was desperate to try and find you. I decided to cast a revelation summoning to find out where you were, so I went to the city library to research what is known on demonology in this realm."

"You needed it to know where to mark the boundaries of the spell" she said, understanding.

"Correct. She was – is – the librarian. We started talking, and… we got interested in each other. I looked into her soul and found that she had the power of a medium."

"A medium? How powerful is she?"

"Extremely. Her power was forgotten, ignored, buried deep in her. And yet it was able to sense my true being. She wasn't aware of it, of course, but it both attracted her to me and scared her away."

She frowned, looking at the ceiling. "If she's so powerful…" She looked at him again. "No matter. Continue."

"At first I just wanted to unwind, attend to the mortal body's need. But I looked at her soul, and… it was beautiful. Colorful. Radiant. I could spend hours just watching it. She… gave me peace. She made me… happy."

"A demon in love."

He looked up sharply at her, his anger flashing, but he realized she was not mocking him. Her eyes were calm, with a hint of compassion in them. He felt his face flush, his thoughts suddenly confused.

"Calm down and continue" she said in a soothing tone.

He forced his feelings down. "I made a mistake. I was afraid that her power would sooner or later reveal what I am. I realized I cared for her and I didn't want… I was afraid she would reject me. So I thought that I should prepare her first, then let her see me as I truly was. I touched her power, letting it out a little bit."

"You wanted to reveal yourself to her and see if she would still love you?"

"I had to know… and she had to know. She had the right to know. I wanted to do it gradually, over several days, maybe weeks. But I didn't realize how strong her power was. While I was sleeping, it worked itself loose and emerged. She instinctively found out how to direct it and she uncovered my true being."

"I suppose she was terrified" Raven said in a neutral tone.

He smiled. "She was. But I was almost as afraid as she was. I was afraid of hurting her. I managed to calm her down. We spoke, and then… Lord Trigon appeared."

"He is no Lord!" she hissed. "He is an evil, twisted, cruel creature! He has no right –"

"Might is right, Raven. In our world, it's the only thing that counts. And he is one of the mightiest."

Her eyes focused inwards. "I know."

He gazed at her, realizing there was something she was not telling him. He extended his power to look into her soul, but before it could touch her, he retrieved it back, deciding not to invade her privacy.

Her eyes came back into focus, looking at him. "You are learning."

He felt himself blush again. Mortal feelings could be so uncomfortable.

She gave him a small smile. "You'll get used to it."

He frowned. "It's not funny, Raven. I have respected your privacy. You could return the favor."

She sighed. "I can't. I can close my eyes or stop my ears, but I can't shut down my empathic sense."

He felt a surge of an unknown feeling washing over him. She scowled at him, then her face cleared.

"You are feeling compassion now. As uncomfortable as it leaves me, it is something unheard of in a demon. You really are a strange one."

He felt uncomfortable, ill at ease around her. She gave him an encouraging smile. "Go on."

"He said he would use her to enter this realm, to get what was denied to him. He said he would get his revenge. I don't know what he was talking about."

Her face seemed to retreat further under her hood, hiding from him, but he did notice it becoming even paler than usual.

"What is it?" he asked, concerned. She remained silent.

"Raven, you know something, I can feel it! Please, if it will help Sue…"

"Sue just had the misfortune to be caught in between Trigon and me" she said fiercely.

"Between Trigon and you? But then…" His eyes went wide, suddenly understanding, the hints she dropped making sense. "You faced _him?_ You defeated _him?_ _How?_ "

Her gaze dropped. "I am his daughter."

His reaction was immediate and, to Raven, stunning. He was down on his knees, his head pressed into the floor, waves of frightened submission radiating from him.

Recovering from her shock, she berated herself. He was simply doing what a millennium of conditioning had made him do. It was something beaten into him ceaselessly for centuries. She should have expected it.

She leaned over and touched his shoulder, only to have him try to press his head into the floor even further. She realized gentleness will not work.

Wincing at what she had to do, she growled at him.

"Get up, worm! Look at me!"

She leaned over again, but this time she grabbed his hair, pulling his head up. "Get up and sit down!" she snarled at him. Eyes still cast down, he obeyed.

Exasperated, she allowed her anger to show in her voice. "Snap out of it!"

His eyes slowly lifted, meeting hers.

"I… I'm sorry. It's just…"

She dismissed him with a wave of her hand. "Don't be. It's my fault, I should have expected it. Get a grip on yourself and let's continue."

He took a deep breath and swallowed, watching her out of the corner of his eye, fighting against his fear and awe.

"He… wanted to use her. He was going to possess her. So I did the only thing I could think of. I took her soul, ripped it out from her body, absorbed it into me."

"How did you do that? Usually you have to kill the body to release the soul."

"My eye. It has the power. It's one of the few things that set me apart from my brethren."

"It sounds like a very powerful ability" she commented.

"It is, but it can be seldom used effectively. It needs time to work and it requires my full concentration. I was very rarely able to use it. Sue… She didn't fight me. She trusted me. It helped me take her soul quickly, if not painlessly."

"You have made a powerful enemy doing it" she said, observing him.

"Tell me about it" he said, his despair growing as he remembered the hopelessness of the situation. "Trigon… he entered me."

Her eyebrow arched up. "He is in you? Right now?"

"Yes. That is what he said. I can't feel him, but I believe that it is true." His gaze dropped, the anguish in his voice almost palpable. "I don't know how much you can trust me, Raven. If he takes me over…"

"He can try. You will fight. I will help" she said, finality in her voice.

"How can I? He is an Arch-Demon! Compared to him, I am –"

" _Silence!_ Never forget who you are talking to!" Her voice shook him. It was suddenly deep, dark, resounding in his very bones. His fear returning, he made to kneel before her again.

"Oh, get up already and pull yourself together!" she said loudly in her normal tone. "You must fight this reflex of yours!"

She noted with satisfaction that this time he recovered quickly. "Good. You're getting there. Remember that it's something that you have to resist, just like your rage. Do not let it consume you. You are more than that. You are yourself, and nothing and no one can take it away from you unless _you_ allow it."

He swallowed. "I understand."

"Good. Now let's get back to where we were."

He nodded. "He wants Sue, because she is a medium. She can connect him to this realm the way he needs it, so that it will allow him to open a portal and enter it."

"Being so powerful, she can bridge the barriers between the realms" Raven agreed.

"That is so. But now they are both in me. And Sue is slowly… dying. I must do something."

"There must be a way" she said, getting up and walking to her bookcase. She ran her fingers over the spines of the books, quickly reading the titles. She selected one, removed it from the bookcase and tossed it to Beltheniel.

"Start with that. I will look elsewhere."

They began their work.

* * *

In the next twenty-four hours they left the room only twice to get a hasty snack, then returned quickly to continue their research. Raven cut short any questions from her friends, refusing to waste time with long-winded answers. Beltheniel looked at no one, wolfing down the food quickly, feeling their glares on him.

Back in her room, he was starting on the third volume that she gave him. He was already getting tired and drowsy and the words soon began floating before his eyes, not making any sense. He forced himself to focus on his work, thinking of Sue.

After a few hours, he realized he was staring at a page without reading any words on it. He shook his head to clear it, rubbing his eyes. He hated this mortal weakness, this desire – no, this absolute and unescapable _need_ – to sleep, to waste a third of his lifetime in a limbo, useless, vulnerable. It sparked his anger and he clutched at it, using it to wring out a few lucid moments and do more reading.

As he read, his eyes started widening, his drowsiness forgotten. He had found a quote from _The Assumption of Moses_ and he read it carefully before calling out.

"Raven? I've found…" He looked at her, noticing her head was slumped. She had fallen asleep, just as exhausted as he was. He touched her shoulder and she gave a start, her eyes snapping open.

"I'm sorry to wake you" he said softly.

She rubbed her eyes. "Don't be. I should apologize for falling asleep."

"I may have found something" he told her.

She looked at him sharply, her own drowsiness forgotten. "What is it?"

"Listen to this quote" he said, beginning to read the text he had found.

 _There was another angel in the seventh heaven, different in appearance from all the others, and of frightful mien. His height was so great, it would have taken five hundred years to cover a distance equal to it, and from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet he was studded with glaring eyes, at the sight of which the beholder fell prostrate in awe. "This one," said Metatron, addressing Moses, "is Samael, who takes the soul away from man."_

He put the book down, looking at her. "Samael is the Archangel of Death" he said. "He is the Collector of Souls. He can tell us how to revert what I have done."

"He is as much demon as he is an angel" Raven mused. "I wonder if he will be willing to help, or if his assistance will be beneficial."

She rubbed her temples to clear the drowsiness that started creeping in again. "So, what do we know about him? Besides him being the Archangel of Death?"

"As you said, he's as much angel as demon. Not a very common thing. He resides in the Seventh Heaven and he is definitely an angel, but he is more often associated with evil than good."

"I guess it comes with the job description" Raven observed drily. "Anything else?"

"Well, he was Lilith's boyfriend…"

"Weren't they all?"

"Don't mock her. She may hear you."

She shuddered. "Sorry. I'm just too sleepy. I'm making stupid mistakes."

"No matter. I think we have to risk it" he said, his mind made up. "We will summon him –"

She placed a gentle hand on his arm.

"How do you propose to do it? He is both an Archangel and an Arch-Demon. If he does not want to come, we will just waste our time."

"We'll find a way."

* * *

The pentagram was ready, the candles burning. There was only one thing missing.

"How can we get a small animal to sacrifice?"

She looked at him. "Do you really think that Samael will show up for a few drops of chicken blood?"

He frowned. "Unless you have an infant of royal blood on hand, I don't see other options."

She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Demons!"

She took his hand, rolling up his sleeve, taking the sacrificial knife in the other hand. "It is not the sacrifice of life that is necessary, but of blood!"

He looked at her, surprised. "You have done this before?"

"Never. But there's always a first time."

"Great."

"Keep your comments to yourself. Ready?"

He nodded. He winced as she sliced his arm above his wrist, a few drops of blood falling on the pentagram.

Beltheniel started the summoning chant. He sung it in a deep voice, changing the words of command with those of supplication. One did not _command_ an Archangel, or an Arch-Demon for that matter. One asked, very humbly and politely, and hoped for the best.

The room grew cold, the condensation forming as they breathed, Beltheniel still chanting the summoning, pleading with Samael to appear.

 _It took you long enough._

They looked at each other. They both _knew_ it was Samael, though no visual clue appeared as to the identity of their summons.

 _I started having doubts about you. When I created you, I gave you your power and – I hoped – the mind to control it. And yet it took you almost a thousand years to do anything with it._

"You… created me?"

 _Did I not say that a moment ago? Have I made a mistake and placed a baboon's brain in your head?_

"Uh… I…"

 _I'm not known for my patience. Do you want to hear what I have for you or do you intend to keep stammering until I tire and leave?_

Beltheniel forced himself to calm down. "What you have for me – does it have to do with my current… predicament?"

 _Of course it has. Why do you ask such stupid questions? Sometimes your denseness really drives me crazy._

"Um… I need to reverse the taking of a soul. Is it possible? How do I do it?"

 _You cannot reverse it. But you can exchange it._

"You mean…"

 _Yes, Beltheniel. One soul for another. That's the way it works. Not even I can change it._

"I… understand"

 _I see that you do. Good._

"What should I do?"

 _Your friend knows. She has the item you need, and she will help you._

"And what about… Trigon?"

 _Let's say that it will be a little test of your abilities. Just for me to see if I've created you well or if I should go back to the drawing board._

"I… see. Thanks, I guess."

 _You're welcome. We'll see each other soon, whatever happens._

"Wait!" Raven exclaimed. "Should I go with him?"

 _Why do mortals insist in asking questions they already know the answer to? Of course you should, Trigon spawn. This will be as much a test for you as it is for him._

They felt the summons disappear.

Raven was fuming. "Trigon spawn? Why that conceited, arrogant…"

He placed a hand over hers. "Cool down. You don't want to piss him off. And he does have a lot to be arrogant about."

She glared at him, and realizing he was right, forced her anger back.

"You don't have much contact with demons, do you? I mean, being half one yourself…" he said with a smile.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

He lifted both hands, palms out. "Hey, I'm not trying to insult you. I'm saying that you don't really have much experience in… let's call it 'demon etiquette'."

"There is such a thing?"

"Good point."

She sighed, looked at the pentagram. "Well, we can say it was productive, even though it opens more questions than it solves."

He grinned at her. "That's the way it usually is."

She looked at him, puzzled at his good cheer. "You sound quite happy about all this."

"I am. I have a purpose, a path to follow. It is a lot more than what I had an hour ago. I have hope."

She smiled. "You're right. Let's get some sleep and tomorrow we'll continue."

* * *

She showed him the mirror.

"I use this to enter my own mind when I need to meditate deeper than usual" she said. "I will have to attune it to you, then we can use it to get inside you and look for Sue."

"And Trigon" he said, his face grim.

"And Trigon" she agreed.

"Let's do it."

She floated in lotus position, the mirror in her lap, softly chanting. He allowed the sound of her voice to lull him into a doze. It took a while.

"I need a part of you" she said, startling him. "What?"

"Hair, nail, blood, whatever" she said, her voice becoming urgent. He pulled a few hairs from his head, wincing slightly. "Here."

She placed the hairs gently on the surface of the mirror, avoiding looking at it. The hairs sank beneath the surface and disappeared.

She let her breath out, reaching for a handkerchief and covering up the mirror.

"It's done. Let me rest a bit and we can go."

He waited patiently for her. After a few minutes of silence, she opened her eyes.

"Let's go. I'll go first."

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Just look in the mirror."

She picked up the mirror. As she did, she heard his voice, hideously changed.

"I am waiting for you, dear daughter."

She looked up, almost in panic. Beltheniel was grinning at her, his demonic teeth protruding, four red eyes blazing red around his middle eye. It was slowly opening, fluttering, as if against his will.

"Resist him!" she said as she tried to form a protective sphere around herself.

The middle eye opened and darkened, the cat-like pupil expanding. She felt herself wrenched out, the pain almost unbearable. Her body slumped to the floor, soulless.

Beltheniel forced command of his body back to himself. He couldn't congratulate himself on the victory, though. He was too busy watching Raven's prone form before him.

His shoulders slumped, defeat overwhelming him. He could not fight Trigon.

 _What now? Leave them both to die? That will not exorcize Trigon from me. I doubt there is any priest holy enough to do it in this realm. The… great priest from that holy place… she could, maybe. But even if she was alive, even if that… place was still standing, I could never enter it._

A spark ran through him, electrifying him as realization unfolded. He didn't really have any choice. He could wait, do nothing and be destroyed later, or fight, fall and be destroyed sooner. The first option offered no chances of success. The second…

 _Let's get this show on the road._

He took the mirror, his hand trembling slightly. _Here goes nothing_.

He looked into it and disappeared. The room was quiet, empty but for Raven's body. Then there was an insistent knocking at the door. A muffled voice came from outside.

"Rae? What is going on? Don't make me open it with the security override!"

The door hissed open. Robin entered the room.

"You two owe us some answers –"

His eyes swept the empty room, to end up on the body and the mirror on the floor.

"Oh, _shit_."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** Both good and bad news. I've got a new job, so I'll be a productive member of the family again. But that also means less time for writing, which in turn means shorter chapters and more time between them. Sorry.

* * *

Robin lifted his head as Cyborg walked into the room.

"How is she?"

"Alive. But that's about all she is."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean there is _nothing!_ " Cyborg snarled at him. "No alpha waves, no brain activity except for life support, nothing! Only the vegetative nervous system is active!"

He took a deep breath, tried to calm himself down. "Sorry, Richard. I'm just…"

Robin got up and placed his arm on Cyborg's shoulder.

"I know, Vic. But you must fight it. Don't give in. Don't give up."

Cyborg walked with heavy strides to the couch, sitting down on it and looking through the panoramic window, without focusing on anything. He lifted his metallic hands in front of his face and studied them carefully. They were shaking slightly.

"I didn't know I could do that" he mused.

"Vic, is there anything that can be done? Anybody that can help her?"

"I don't know. She appears to be in a deep coma, just like that girl they brought the day before. Same readings, same symptoms. Both are alive – barely. Both are little more than vegetables."

He took another deep, shuddering breath.

"The girl is in a more advanced stage. Rae told me that trouble would start in a couple of days. I'm not sure what she meant, but from what I could see I expect that her organs will soon start failing, one by one. I may be able to counteract it for a few days, but… it'll be a losing battle."

"And you think Rae will go through the same thing?"

Cyborg nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

Robin sat beside him, trying to focus on the problem, to analyze it, systematize it, observe and measure it, break it into components and put it back together, seeking a solution; just like he did with all problems that he faced. He barked a sarcastic laugh at himself, realizing how futile it was.

Cyborg looked at him, scowling.

"What's so fucking funny?"

"I am."

Cyborg shook his head. "What now? What do we tell Gar and Kory?"

"Tell them they're in a coma and that they're not in danger."

"Lie to them?"

"Goddammit, Vic, what use would it be?" he exploded. He pulled himself together, rubbing his temples.

"It's not a question of _use_ " Cyborg said quietly.

"Yes, it is. They can't help. The only thing it would do is depress them and make them suffer."

"She is their friend, just like she is ours. They are entitled to the truth."

Robin looked at him coldly. "I am not getting into moral debates with you. Tell them whatever the fuck you want."

They sat down, silent for a few minutes, both struggling with their inner turmoil.

Robin broke the silence. "We should at least go through the motions. What do we know?"

"I just gave you the medical information. I have little else to offer. You spoke to Raven. What did she say?"

"From what she told me, the guy is a demon. I'd say we need help from someone that knows demons."

"Sure, I'll just stroll out and pick a demonologist off the street" Cyborg growled.

"You're not helping."

Cyborg opened his mouth to shout at him, then snapped it shut, realizing Robin was right.

"What's up with Rae's mirror? It was on the floor beside her. It's part of it, I can feel it" Robin said, looking at him. "You and Gar went through it a few years ago."

"Rae said it was a portal into her mind" Cyborg replied. "What we saw inside confirms it. But it means we can't – must not use it."

"Why not?"

"Didn't you hear what I said? She _has_ no mind right now!"

Robin stared through the window. "The guy never left her room?"

"Positive. I've checked the surveillance footage, including the IR cameras and all sensors in the hallway and around the Tower. If even a puff of air left that room, I'd have found it."

"Maybe he entered her mind through the mirror and made her this way?"

"Wouldn't explain the other girl."

He rubbed his eyes, suddenly tired. "Do we have any info on her?"

"Lots, all of it irrelevant. Name is Sue. Nineteen years old, working as a librarian, co-workers call her sweet but shy. School grades above average, but not much. Her parents and relatives check out fine. She's just your normal, common garden-variety teen. No indications of any hidden powers, possessions, strange behavior – nothing."

Robin turned to him. "I have a feeling science will not give us the answer. We need to look elsewhere."

"Magic?"

"We are dealing with demons."

"Well, that's kinda outside of my field of expertise" Cyborg pouted.

"Then we have to find someone who does know."

"Who do we know that uses magic?" Cyborg asked.

"Jinx. Maybe Argent."

"They're just users. They don't delve into it like Rae does. What about Mumbo? Mother Mae-Eye?"

"No. Mumbo's just a parlor magician. Mother Mae-Eye is a simple witch, a refugee from a fairy tale."

"Slade?"

Robin's eyes narrowed. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"You two went literally through hell together" Cyborg smirked.

"That doesn't make either of us a demonologist!"

"He certainly knows more than I do. He died and lived again. He was buddies with Trigon!"

"No" Robin said, shaking his head. He looked at Cyborg. "Trust me, Vic. Not because of how much I hate him. I know he can't help. He would just make us waste time, and we don't have much."

Cyborg sighed again. "I know. I'm grasping at straws. What about Zatanna?"

"She wouldn't touch Raven with a ten-foot pole. Don't you know the story?"

"You told it to me yourself. But still, doesn't she feel some responsibility?"

"Vic, she turned away a desperate fourteen-year-old when Raven came to beg them for help. Do you really think she'll lift a finger now?"

Cyborg's chest constricted at the unfairness of it. He got up, walked to the wall and smashed his fist into it, punching through the concrete and armor paneling.

"There has to be _someone!_ " He looked at Robin. "Batman?"

Robin sighed. "He may have something in his files. I'll ask him."

Cyborg's eye suddenly widened. "Wait! Kyd Wykkyd?"

Robin's eyes snapped up. "He certainly looks like a demon."

"Can we get him to help?"

"We'll make him." Robin's eyes flashed as he turned to the console.

"What, right now?"

"Why waste time?" he said as he punched a set of keys.

The main screen lit up, showing Gizmo's face. He was half-turned, talking to someone, when he realized he was on.

"Who's pestering –" His eyes went wide, then narrowed in anger. "What the fuck do you pit-sniffers want? This is a private channel!"

"We need to talk to Kyd" Robin said calmly.

"Oh yeah? Well, lemme tell you something, snot-muncher. The Kyd don't talk to no one. And even if he did, he wouldn't waste his fucking time –"

A black arm pushed Gizmo off screen. Kyd's face appeared on it, his red eyes inscrutable.

"We need your help, Kyd" Robin said. Kyd just shrugged his shoulders.

"It's important!"

He cocked his head, one eyebrow up.

Robin swallowed. "I can't tell you. It's… private."

Kyd shrugged his shoulders again.

"We can pay you. A lot."

He looked at them for a moment, then slowly moved his head from side to side.

"Look, it's really important to us. We need your help. We can tell you when you get here. You have my word, we will not act against you."

Kyd's hand went forward to cut off the communication.

"It's Raven!" Cyborg shouted. Kyd's hand froze.

"She's in a coma. We need your help."

Kyd watched them for a few moments. Gizmo's indignant spluttering could be heard in the background. Kyd nodded.

"Can you get here quickly?"

Kyd nodded again and cut them off.

Robin turned away from the screen, heaving a deep sigh. He jumped up and back, startled, as Kyd materialized in front of him.

"That's… convenient" he stammered, recovering from his surprise.

Kyd cocked his head, expectant.

"Um… yeah. Follow me." Robin started for the infirmary, Cyborg and Kyd in tow.

They reached the infirmary. Kyd walked in, looking first at Sue. He placed his hand on her forehead, held it there for a moment and then frowned. He went over to Raven and repeated the procedure. His frown deepened as his head moved from side to side.

Robin's fists clenched. "Don't tell me that. I don't want to hear – to see it!"

Kyd put his hand inside his cloak and removed it, holding something. He then placed what he was holding in Raven's hands and turned to Robin, shaking his head again.

Robin looked at Raven. In her hands there was a black rose.

" _NO!_ " he shouted. "There must be _something!_ "

Kyd looked at the floor, then back at Robin. His hand went to Robin's shoulder, squeezing it in sympathy. He then swirled his cape around him and disappeared.

* * *

He found himself in a grey, featureless plain under a grey, featureless sky. The line of the horizon ahead was ill-defined, the greyness of the ground melding with the sky, almost indistinguishable.

 _If this is my mind, I must be a very boring guy_ , he thought wryly. _Where to now?_

There were no landmarks. Any direction was as good as any other. He got up and tried to release his power to levitate up. Nothing happened.

 _Great. Just fucking great._

He started walking. The ground was hard but elastic, with the consistency of rubber. No footprints remained on it.

After a while, his doubts surfaced.

 _I may be walking in circles. Does it matter?_

He kept walking. There was not much else to do.

 _I am wasting a lot of time with this. I should get somewhere, see something soon._

He started dropping things behind him as he walked. Bills, coins, keys, anything he could find in his pockets. After a while, he found the courage to look behind and saw the straight line of debris that he was leaving.

 _So far I am going straight. But I'm not getting anywhere._

He kept walking, his despair increasing, his doubts multiplying.

 _Maybe I should turn, go a different way? To the left? To the right? It's all the same! How do I know? How do I decide? If only someone could show me, give me an answer…_

He suddenly stopped, the realization hitting him like a blow. These were his doubts. His questioning. His indecision and ignorance.

His eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched. He had a path. He had a goal. He knew what he had to do. There was no reason to question himself any more.

Looking ahead, he saw a mountain range in the distance. It wasn't there a moment ago. It was the only thing that stood apart from the featureless ground and sky around him, the obvious place to go.

 _But I will need days to get there. I don't_ have _days. Unless…_

He willed the mountains closer. Nothing happened.

 _Of course. I am being an idiot._

He willed himself there. Suddenly he was at the foot of the mountains, looking up at their towering peaks.

Glancing around, he saw a path leading up into the mountains. He followed the path with his eyes to its highest point. It was obvious to him that he needed to follow it. He willed himself to go to the farthest place on the path that he could see. Nothing happened.

 _Why am I not surprised?_ he sighed.

He started walking upwards, following the path. A sense of urgency invaded his mind. He sped up until he was trotting up, his breath regular, measuring his strides. Two strides inhale, two strides exhale.

Soon he could feel himself tiring. The path was uneven and his rhythm was constantly broken by the need to jump, step aside, slow down or speed up. This depleted his stamina even further. Somehow he understood that he must not stop. If he stopped, everything would be lost. He had to endure.

He breathed through his mouth now, his breath coming in quick gasps. His legs were hurting, the muscles protesting at the unending ascent he was forcing them to fight. His heart hammered in his chest, his mouth and throat dry, but he willed himself on.

The path turned to loose, crushed stones. It was not gravel, rounded and smoothed by ages of wear and erosion. The stones looked and felt like shards of obsidian, sharp as broken glass, unpredictable in their reaction when his weight was on them. Several times the stones rolled under his foot, making him almost lose his balance and fall, sapping even further the little strength he had left.

He clenched his teeth and plodded on grimly, his breath ragged, sweat dripping into his eyes, making them burn. He was not able to run any more. He was reduced to slow, painful walking, concentrated only on continuing to move forward and up, up and forward.

A stone twisted under his foot, then slid under it. His balance lost, he fell on his hands and knees, the sharp, jagged edges of the stones cutting deeply. He dismissed the pain, only allowing himself the realization that he must get up and go on. Nothing else mattered.

He couldn't feel his legs any more. He painfully gasped for air, the atmosphere already rarefied by the height. His heart thundered in his throat and his temples. Red mist floated before his eyes. He fell to his knees.

He couldn't get up, but he could go on. He crawled on his knees, leaving a bloody trail on the viciously sharp rocks. At first, he welcomed the pain, because it made him aware of himself again, but soon even that was denied to him. His legs were completely numb, his hands torn but unfeeling, his eyesight dark but for a single reddish, lighted circle, barely wide enough for him to be able to distinguish the path in front of him. Blood drummed in his ears for a while, before even that sensation was pushed away, ignored to save strength for the only thing that mattered, to keep walking, crawling, moving up any way he can.

The path suddenly disappeared and he toppled over the summit, rolling downhill, the loose obsidian rocks slashing at his body and face. He smashed into a pillar of rock jutting out of the ground, stopping his fall. He was lying on the ground on his back, his legs still twitching, trying to keep crawling, climbing, moving. He realized he'd made it; he reached the summit, he conquered. But his body did not understand it yet, still trying to move him forward.

He closed his eyes and tried to relax. He felt a soothing sensation wash over him, taking away the tiredness and pain. He opened his eyes and tried to get up.

Bracing himself on the pillar that stopped his downhill roll, he got up and fought a wave of dizziness and nausea. He checked himself, slightly surprised to find that all his wounds had disappeared. He was as good as new, except that he was exhausted, physically and emotionally. But he did understand that he would be unable to rest until the tests were concluded.

He looked down and saw the path ending at the foot of the mountains below. He willed himself there. This time it worked.

He passed under a stone arch towards a circular depression ahead, about a hundred feet in diameter. Two figures were waiting for him there.

He approached and recognized the waiting figures. They were the two muggers he killed a few days ago. They were not healed from the butchery; a better way of describing it was that they were put back together. Randomly.

The ripped-off arm of the first one appeared sewn to his neck in a rough fashion, while the head was still impaled on the tire iron and the iron was embedded into his body below the sternum. The legs were bent in strange shapes, broken in several places, but they held him upright somehow. There were several holes in his body, made by ripping teeth and scything claws. The second one looked almost normal, except for the ruined head, completely crushed above the upper jaw. He held his knife in his right hand, while from his left hand the skin of his face hung, the eyes opened and staring upwards in death. They stepped towards him, their intention clear.

"I will not fight you" Beltheniel said as they approached. They ignored his words and lunged at him. He retreated warily. They followed him with a single, obvious purpose.

He was confused. He would not – _could_ not fight them. It meant giving in to his rage, releasing the evil he had inside. It would destroy everything he tried so hard to build. He couldn't simply run from them; it wasted time while Sue's and Raven's bodies slowly died. And if he allowed himself to be killed, that would leave Trigon as the undisputed owner of his body, mind and soul, with predictable, although unimaginable consequences.

The knife stabbed at him, the teeth in the impaled head clacked at him. He danced back, avoiding them, his mind working furiously. Two sets of eyes were on him. Strangely, their dead eyes were rolled up, staring at the sky, but Beltheniel knew that they were looking at him, gazing at him with hunger and hatred, wishing to see him bleed and suffer, wanting payback and revenge.

They split up, trying to catch him in between the two of them. He retreated as far as he could, but there was an invisible, impenetrable barrier now encasing the circular depression. Running away was definitely not an option.

Dodging the whistling blade of the knife placed him closer to the arm that jutted out from the neck of the first thug. Nails raked his face as the hand tried to grab his hair and hold him for the second mugger to cut him with the knife. Beltheniel jerked away and rolled between them over his shoulder, jumping up and retreating again.

They came at him from opposite sides again, making it difficult for him to keep them both in his sight and avoid their attacks. He stepped aside to avoid the grasping hand, just to feel a scorching, freezing pain in his chest as the knife raked over his ribs, slicing skin and muscle, fortunately not penetrating further. Blood welled out, dripping onto the elastic ground.

Frustration and pain fueled his rage. He kept it in check, but he knew it wouldn't last. Another slash, another wound and he would lose his grip, his fury exploding, his demonic form falling on his opponents and crushing them; intent as they were on his death, they were weak and easily destroyed. He could almost taste the desire to rip them into pieces so small that nothing and no one could put them back together.

Did they know they had no chance? Did they realize that if he transformed into his demon form he would annihilate them? Did they have any mind left to comprehend, or were they just mindless automatons, zombies reacting to the emotions that were graven into their souls at the moment Beltheniel ripped them from their dying bodies – fear, rage, hatred?

Again, the realization hit Beltheniel with the power of a physical blow. He bent over, overwhelmed by shame for what he had done. Breathing shallowly and quickly, he stepped back and straightened up, raising his hands to them, his shame bringing out compassion and directing it towards them.

"Please forgive me" he whispered. "I release you."

The two figures stopped, swayed, collapsed. Their souls whirled over the mangled bodies for a second, then disappeared.

 _Good work, Beltheniel._

"Shut up, Samael. If you're not going to help at least don't hamper me!"

 _Why would I want to do that? I have a vested interest in your success._

"Somehow I could picture you eating popcorn and enjoying watching what I had to go through. It was not a pleasant thought."

 _I confess it was… entertaining. Demons are certainly onto something with this mortal-baiting they like so much._

Beltheniel sighed. "Look, I'm busy. I still have a few small tasks left, like defeating an Arch-Demon and so on."

 _Of course. But the reason I am speaking to you is to let you know that I owe you one favor for successfully passing your tests. Think about it and choose wisely, as they say._

"One favor? How about banishing Trigon?"

 _Sure, if that is really what you want. As I said, think well and choose wisely._

"Just get me to where Sue and Raven are, please."

 _Right away. That one is free of charge._

His vision darkened, then he could see again. Sue and Raven stood before him, just as they were in real life. Sue ran to him and embraced him.

"Bel! You're here!"

"Of course I am. I couldn't leave you. I never will."

He looked at Raven. "Both of you are so… physical. I mean, I can feel her body, even though I know this is only her soul" he said, puzzled, hugging Sue close to him.

She smiled. "We're in your mind, Beltheniel. You see us as you want to see us."

He looked at Sue. "As long as we're together. Nothing else matters."

Raven frowned. "Look, I know you two are happy to be together, but there is still a small issue left that we have to solve."

"I know" Beltheniel told her. "I think this is what Samael meant when he said that this will be as much a test for you as it was for me. I passed my tests. It is your turn."

She sighed and looked down. "I don't know if I'll be able to do it. My powers… they don't work properly, maybe because I am in your mind, not in my body."

"If there is one thing I learned from what I went through, it is that there is always a way. Don't lose heart."

"I hope you are right. We'll see soon enough."

Four eyes opened in front of them; four rips in the fabric of reality, flames of scorching hellfire blazing in them.

 _Indeed we will, dear daughter._


	5. Chapter 5

Beltheniel fought the ingrained urge to prostrate himself before one of the mightiest of his kind. He recognized his fear and awe but allowed them to pass through him, affecting him only for a moment.

"No" he said softly to the eyes. "This is _my_ mind. We play by _my_ rules."

The eyes did not move, but he sensed their attention shift to him. Cold terror started creeping up his spine.

 _You are brave, weakling. But you have no power to back it up._

"I think he does" Raven interrupted. "I am with him."

Trigon's laughter pierced their ears and minds.

 _You? Just because you banished me when I was weak, when I was out of my element, when I was betrayed, you think you can defy me? Do try, dear daughter. I have looked forward to this moment, when I can face you in the fullness of my power._

Red mist emerged from the eyes, slowly taking a roughly humanoid form, thickening, solidifying. In a few moments, Trigon stood before them.

He chose to appear in his usual form, but only slightly taller than a normal human. His eyes glowed red, his tongue licking over his feline teeth, expectation building in him.

 _Here I am, dear daughter. Give me your best._

Raven's eyes blazed white as a black mist formed around her, white sparks coursing around it, thickening, lengthening. Her jewel started shining with a blinding white brilliance that expanded to include her entire body. Her clothes turned white, becoming almost indistinguishable against her pale skin.

 _Azarath Metrion ZINTHOS!_ she cried and directed a massive stream of power at the Arch-Demon. Trigon received it with a bolt of his own, the two powers balanced, sparks flying at the point of contact, humming in a deep bass that penetrated to the bones. A smell of ozone, jasmine and rot permeated the atmosphere.

They stood immobile for a few moments, the two streams of power slamming into each other, pushing at each other. Sue and Beltheniel watched, mesmerized, their arms around each other.

"Bel…" she whispered. "What is happening?"

"She is fighting him. But do not be deceived by what you see. Use your power. Connect to Raven. The real battle is going on in their minds. We must stand ready to help her."

She nodded as she tried to connect to Raven. She was unsure of her feelings towards her – there was budding friendship, but there also was apprehension at the sight of her power, and even a twinge of jealousy. But her talent understood her wish, recognized the target and connected.

The first attack was despair. Trigon looked for what was most dear to Raven and swooped down on it.

 _I will make them suffer, dear daughter. I will reach deep into their souls and find their worst fears, and I will show it to them. I will torment them with it until they claw their own eyes out, so that they see it no more; I will continue until they rip their own ears off so that they do not hear it any more. But it will not avail them. They will try to kill themselves to find surcease, but I will not allow it. They will try to swallow their own tongues to choke to death; to smash their heads against the wall, to leap from tall windows, to drown in a bucket of water. But I will keep their souls in their bodies, and I will continue to torment them, and I will make you watch. I will make you watch and scream and beg until your throat is raw and bloody, and then I will make you scream even more._

Raven's concentration wavered as the fear and intimidation radiating from Trigon started to overwhelm her. She fought grimly, but his power ground down her defenses slowly, tendrils of anguish piercing her soul, slivers of terror stabbing her heart.

Beltheniel's hand gripped Sue's fiercely. "Connect me to her!" he whispered urgently. Sue closed her eyes and directed her power to expand and include him in the connection she had with Raven.

"Turn it against him!" Beltheniel shouted at Raven. "Show him how hopeless, how useless, how _lonely_ he is! Look into your soul, look into my soul! Find what we carry in ourselves and show it to him! Show him the ultimate curse of demons, show him his _emptiness!_ "

With a moan that slowly turned into a roar, Raven did as he said. Trigon bellowed as Raven returned his attack back on him, his defense faltering, Raven's power smashing into him full force, throwing him down.

He got back on his feet, launching his next attack immediately. It was hatred and rage.

 _Who do you do this for, dear daughter? For the so-called "normal" people? The ones that would run away screaming from you if they could see but part of your true self? The ones that have something that you crave but can never have? The miserable worms that multiply like flies on a corpse, devouring everything and choking the rest in their own refuse, vomit and shit? Or is it that you fight for your so-called friends that snicker behind your back at your curse, that shake their heads in mock sympathy at you, that never tried – never wished – never could understand you?_

The white blaze in Raven's eyes started tinting reddish. Beltheniel saw it.

"Fight it! Do not give in to the hatred, the rage! Do not unleash the evil in you!"

 _You hate them all, do you not? Admit it to yourself. Oh, but I know who you hate most of all, dear daughter. It is me. The source of your misery, the architect of your curse._

The red tint grew in her eyes, replacing the white brilliance with its own lurid glow. Another set of red eyes started opening in her head. Her body shook.

Beltheniel turned to Sue. "All that you feel for me. All your joy, all your kindness, all your _life_. Send it into her."

They stood, their hands holding each other in a desperate grip, projecting their feelings into her, placing their love as a bulwark against the hatred and the fury.

 _Let your rage out. Let your hatred wash over you. Destroy me. Rip my taint from your soul. Burn it, slash it, crush it into atoms, then incinerate them until nothing remains but your own darkness; clean, unsullied, overpowering, omnipotent. This is my gift to you, dear daughter. This is what I have created. This is what you must become._

A scream of pure hatred started forming deep in Raven's chest, boiling up, forcing itself from her lungs and through her throat. She tried to bite it back and push it down, but pieces of it escaped as fierce growls, curling like reddish-black smoke from her mouth and nostrils.

Beltheniel felt the icy hand of despair clutching at him. As strong as the love they were projecting into Raven was, it wasn't hers. It was helping, keeping her defenses from crumbling completely, but it would not stop the assault. She needed her own love, her own joy, her own friendship.

"Raven! Your friends! Think of them!" Beltheniel cried desperately, seeking to remind her of the only thing he knew that she could use against the overwhelming hatred of an Arch-Demon.

"Connect her to her friends!" he shouted at Sue.

Sue dove deep into Raven's mind, looking for a way to do it. She shuddered as she saw her dual nature collapsing, the darkness rising and threatening to extinguish the light. She searched frantically for care, affection and friendship, and she found it. The target identified, her talent connected immediately.

* * *

The Ops room was suddenly deathly quiet. They all stopped what they were doing, paralyzed by the feeling. Their eyes lost focus, their minds taken over completely by the monumental battle they were now witnessing.

Robin grabbed Starfire's hand in a crushing grip, without noticing it.

"She's fighting him!" he rasped, almost inaudibly.

* * *

Raven was down on one knee, the effort of fighting both Trigon's and her own evil too hard to sustain, the darkness in her soul covering her like a blanket, full of fear, hatred and rage. She fought it desperately, but she realized she also wanted it; she felt the desire to wrap herself into it, to feel its power and strength infuse her, brush away all doubts, make her _whole_.

Courage and quiet determination stopped the blackness from enveloping her, coming from a masked figure that appeared in her tortured mind. A metallic hand took hers, affection and concern for her flowing from it into her. Strength to fight the anguish reached her from a constantly shifting green form. Glowing green eyes poured joy and happiness into her soul. Her darkness receded, Trigon's assault repulsed.

She knelt on the rubbery ground, heaving great gasps, her white cloak falling around her, unable to mask the shudders that wracked her body.

Trigon turned to Bel and Sue.

 _You have interfered once too many times. You shall not do so again._

They were paralyzed, both in mind and body. But the connection was still there. Trigon made sure of leaving it, so that they could witness his victory and taste their despair.

 _Now it will be as it was supposed to be, dear daughter. Just you against me._

The next assault was a lot more subtle.

 _I see why you love them, dear daughter. But is it love? Have you ever asked yourself that question? Is it not lust that invades you when you look at them? Appearing suddenly, just to be pushed back into your subconscious, without even giving yourself time to register it? Did you never desire the masked one's hands on your body? Did you never wonder what hidden attachments the robot had? Did you not think about how the different forms of the green one would feel? A horse, a bull? Maybe something with tentacles? Have you not noticed the curves of the alien one and hungered to follow them with your hands and lips? Did you never desire to feel her unusually long tongue in yourself?_

Shame overwhelmed her as she saw the truth of his words. The realization that they were just shadows of a normal, human reaction did nothing to diminish it.

 _When you pulled Doctor Light under your cloak, did you just want to frighten him? Or did you want also to squeeze him dry? His seed, his strength, his very life?_

Fiery knives slashed at her soul as she squirmed, trying to deny the words and failing. Her breath came in shuddering gasps. Tears of shame burned in her eyes. He continued relentlessly.

 _And my… messenger. Part of you relished in his rough hands on you. Enjoyed the feeling of him ripping off your clothes. Wished for him to continue hurting you, savored the sweet feeling of helplessness. Was it not so? Did you not crave it, little slut?_

A whimper escaped her lips as she was kneeling, doubled over, eyes squeezed shut, fists clenched, searing pain ripping her mind and soul apart, the shame she felt obliterating any rational thought.

 _And you hoped. But not to defeat me, no. That was my mistake, my weakness. You hoped that you could be with me, hoped that you could help me. Hoped that you could look up to me, that I would be proud of your deeds. That I would love you as a father loves a daughter. And you would let the world burn for it._

As she looked in the darkest, most hidden parts of her soul, she saw the truth of his words staring at her. The last defense collapsed and she slumped to the ground, sobbing.

 _Now you know that you are mine. You will always be daddy's little girl. Because you love me. Because deep inside you know you will do anything for me._

She knew it to be true. All of it. She reached for it, touched it, looked at it. She faced it. It was _her_ , there was no denying it. But then she understood. She was not only that.

She rose to one knee.

"You are right, father" she said softly. "I do love you."

She lifted her head to look into his eyes, calmly observing the fire from the Pits dancing in them.

"I do love you. And I wanted to share my love with you." Her voice gained strength, became louder. She stood up, facing him. "But you are too weak to accept it. Too afraid."

Trigon shuddered, took a step back.

"You are a coward, father. A weakling. You are too weak to sacrifice. You are too terrified to love. You dare not show it, because for you it is a weakness. You are afraid of your own weakness. You are terrified of me."

He doubled over, as if in pain.

"I am not as you made me, but as I made myself. And yet the clay I had to work with was yours. You gave it to me. I may have shaped it, but in the end it was your kiln, your fire that burned that shape into what it is now. I thank you for it."

Trigon screamed. His form was losing substance, parts of him returning to red mist, then solidifying again.

"I thank you also because today you have taught me what I truly am. I am now standing before you, father. Without my power, without my defense. If you wish to destroy me, now you can."

She was standing straight, her white cloak billowing around her, gazing into his four eyes, unafraid.

"I feel sorry for you, father. For as long as you fear, you shall not know joy. As long as you are weak, you shall not know happiness. I pity you."

His body returned to red mist, the mist absorbed into the eyes, their fire now subdued, painful, hidden.

Her hand rose towards the eyes.

"I'm sorry, father. Sorry that we could never be… together."

Her hand dropped by her side. Her gaze fell. Trigon's eyes winked out.

* * *

They approached her slowly. Sue's hand lifted to touch her face. Raven smiled, a small, shy smile, but it brought life again to her eyes. She looked up at Beltheniel, then at Sue.

"Thank you both" she whispered. "I couldn't have made it without you."

 _I congratulate you, young sorceress. Although I must admit it was… cruel. Even to someone like Trigon._

"What do you know about _cruel?_ " she snarled viciously. "You immortals wouldn't recognize a feeling if it bit off half your ass! Your own emotions have been watered down, stretched over so many centuries as to become transparent, unrecognizable, invisible!"

 _I must remember not to anger you, young sorceress. You are quite dangerous when angry._

"Just shut up and go away, and take your stupid games with you!"

 _I will. But there are a few things we need to finish first._

Beltheniel started. "Yes, the soul. We need to make an exchange. One soul for another."

 _You are correct. What is your proposal?_

"I offer my soul in exchange for –"

"No" Sue said. "Do not say it. I do not wish it to be so."

"But –"

"I do not want to be separated from you. It would be a poor gift for me. There is a much better choice."

He looked at her, his heart breaking, but he understood and thanked her voicelessly for showing him the only real way. He closed his eyes and spoke.

"I offer my soul in exchange for Raven's" he said loudly.

 _So be it._

Raven's form winked out, just as surprise was appearing in her eyes. Sue watched her disappear, turned to him and embraced him.

"As long as we are together" she whispered.

He held her tight, kissing her. He lifted his gaze upwards.

"Samael" he called. "You still owe me a favor!"

 _That I do. Have you thought about it?_

"Yes. I wish for both of us to live."

 _You will need to exchange two souls for that. You have none._

"That is your problem. You owe the favor. I am collecting."

 _You are playing a dangerous game, Beltheniel._

"The rewards are worth it."

 _I certainly hope they are. Very well. The favor has been granted._

"Thank you, Samael. And farewell."

 _Farewell to both of you. We will meet again soon enough. I did create you for a purpose, you know._

They disappeared.

 _And I am glad to see that I have created you so well, Beltheniel._

* * *

They all felt it. They knew that she had overcome, that she had defeated her creator again.

Cyborg was the first to react. He jumped to his feet and ran with giant strides to the infirmary. Fast as he was, Starfire soon zoomed beside him, overtaking him. He rushed into the infirmary, a green cheetah smashing into his back as he stopped, Robin arriving a few seconds later.

Raven was sitting in her bed, rubbing her temples, a pained frown on her face, the electrodes of the medical monitors still stuck to various parts of her body.

"I have pins and needles all over" she groaned to herself, still not aware of the onrushing storm. As Starfire whooshed down on her, embracing her in a bone-crushing hug, their relief, love and concern overwhelmed her.

"Friend Raven! From beyond all of the hope, you have made the return!"

"OOOOF! Star… fire… my ribs…"

She fought ineffectually as the others joined in, their joy to see her back too powerful to be dismissed by her half-hearted words of protest.

She finally fought out of their embraces, her eyes making contact with Sue, whose eyelids were just beginning to flutter.

"HOLD!" she shouted, causing everyone to freeze. "Miracles haven't finished yet!"

She got up from the bed, ripping off the electrodes and walking over concernedly towards Sue. She glanced at the monitors. Her heartbeat and breathing were regular, her brain activity coming into normal. But she was soulless for a longer time, and there may be unseen problems.

Sue's hand went to her head and she tried to raise herself. Raven gently but firmly pressed her down back on the bed.

"Easy. You need some time to pick all the pieces up. Don't rush it."

"Raven? You are… Are we both… alive?"

She smiled down at the girl. "We are."

Sue's eyes widened. "Bel?"

"I don't know."

"I must find him!" she shouted, swinging her legs over the bed, trying to get up.

"Cyborg. Pick her up and follow me."

He scooped the girl into his arms, a puzzled expression on the human part of his face. He followed Raven as she strode quickly towards her room.

She walked into her room, Cyborg following with Sue in his arms, the others in tow. Beltheniel was just rising from the floor, still slightly bewildered. Raven offered him her hand and helped him get up.

Sue wriggled out of Cyborg's hold and stumbled towards him.

"Bel!"

He held her tight, not sure if it was real, but knowing that as long as she was with him he was happy.

"Dude, is that the same…"

"It is, Beast Boy. As I said, miracles have not finished yet."

She turned to Beltheniel.

"Do you remember what I told you? About having to choose each day?"

He nodded, looking at her.

"This is just the start. Never forget it. Never drop your guard. For now you do not have only yourself to fight for."

He looked at Sue, her head resting on his chest.

"I know."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** This concludes the story of Beltheniel. I hope you had as much fun reading it as I had writing it. If you have any comments please let me know, they are all welcome.


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